Ex-Chinese Official Sentenced to Death Over $325 Million Bribery Scandal

(Yang Youlin. Photo Credit; China Daily)

A court in eastern China has handed a d+ath sentence to former Nanjing city official Yang Youlin, 69, after he was convicted of accepting bribes exceeding 2.2 billion yuan (about $325 million or £243 million) over a period spanning 30 years.

Yang, who occupied various government positions in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023, was also found guilty of embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering.

Authorities described his illegal earnings as among the largest recorded in recent years.

Reports from Chinese state media indicate that Yang exploited his official positions to assist individuals in securing engineering contracts, land transfers, and financing, in return for cash and other valuables.

His prosecution forms part of President Xi Jinping’s continuing anti-corruption drive, which has targeted senior officials across various sectors, including the military and banking industries.

The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court ruled that Yang’s offences were extremely serious and had caused exceptionally heavy losses to the interests of the state and the people.

Although Yang pleaded guilty, showed remorse, and cooperated with investigators, the court held that the gravity of his crimes outweighed any mitigating factors, rendering him ineligible for a reduced sentence.