China court sentences former official to death over $324 million in bribes

A court in eastern China sentenced a former local official to death Monday for accepting bribes valued at more than $324 million over a 30-year period. The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court said the official, identified as Yang Youlin, took the payments between 1993 and 2023 while serving in Jiangsu Province.

The court statement said the bribes were given in exchange for assistance with projects, business operations, land grants and working capital.

Yang was also convicted of embezzlement, offering bribes, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power and money laundering. The court ordered confiscation of his personal property and efforts to recover the full amount received in bribes. Public hearings were held on two separate days in March and April, with more than 30 people attending, the court said.

The sentence follows other high-profile corruption cases that ended in execution. In 2021, a party secretary of a state-owned company was sentenced to death and executed for accepting bribes, embezzlement and bigamy. In 2024, a local official in Inner Mongolia was executed after convictions for embezzlement and bribery.

The case was investigated as part of a long-running anti-corruption effort. Court photos showed a gray-haired Yang wearing a dark jacket and standing between two uniformed police officers.

“Yang expressed guilt and remorse.”