A Chinese court on Monday sentenced former Nanjing economic development official Yang Youlin to death, finding him guilty of accepting bribes worth more than 2.21 billion yuan ($325 million) over a three-decade period.In addition to the crime of accepting bribes, Yang is also guilty of corruption, bribery, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power and money laundering. It is one of the largest corruption cases involving the amount of money involved in my country in recent years.The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu Province said Yang received illegal payments between 1993 and 2023 in exchange for helping individuals and companies obtain projects, business opportunities, land allocations and financial support.The bribes were in exchange for assistance in “conducting projects, business operations, land grants and working capital,” the court said.The court also said Yang “illegally received property and assets” worth more than 2.21 billion yuan ($325 million) during the investigation.Yang under scrutiny as part of presidency Xi JinpingCritics believe China’s long-running anti-corruption campaign is also being used to sideline Xi Jinping’s political opponents.During the course of the lawsuit, Yang admitted his misconduct and expressed regret for his actions.The court said Yang made a final statement in which he “expressed his guilt and remorse.”According to the court, public hearings in the case were held over two days in March and April and were attended by more than 30 people.The judgment also ordered the confiscation of Yang’s personal assets and directed authorities to fully recover monies obtained through bribes.Yang is one of several senior Chinese officials sentenced to death in corruption cases in recent years.In 2021, Lai Xiaomin, the former party secretary of a state-owned financial company, was sentenced to death and executed for bribery, corruption, and bigamy.Most recently, in 2024, former Inner Mongolia official Li Jianping was executed for corruption and bribery.
