China Sentences Senior Official to Death over Bribery Scandal

• A Chinese court sentenced former Nanjing official Yang Youlin to death after convicting him of accepting more than $325 million in bribes over 30 years
• The court found Yang guilty of bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering, ruling that his actions caused substantial losses to the state
• Although Yang pleaded guilty and cooperated with investigators, the court ruled that the gravity of his offences did not justify a reduced sentence

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Chinese authorities have sentenced a former senior government official to death after convicting him of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan, equivalent to about 325 million dollars, in bribes over three decades.

Yang Youlin, 69, was found guilty by a court in Changzhou, eastern China, following a lengthy corruption investigation linked to President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign.

Prosecutors said Yang abused several public offices he held in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023 to obtain unlawful financial benefits, BBC reports.

Why was Chinese official sentenced to death?

According to the court, Yang accepted money and valuable gifts in exchange for helping individuals and companies secure engineering projects, land transactions and financing approvals.

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He was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering. The court ruled that his actions caused severe financial losses to the state and seriously undermined public interest.

Judges described the offences as exceptionally serious and said the scale of the corruption justified the death sentence.

How common are such death sentences?

China has pursued an extensive anti-corruption campaign since President Xi took office, targeting officials across government institutions, the military and the financial sector. While many convicted public officials receive lengthy prison terms or suspended death sentences that are later reduced to life imprisonment, executions for economic crimes remain relatively uncommon.

Courts have generally reserved capital punishment for cases involving exceptionally large sums. In 2021, former state finance executive Lai Xiaomin was executed after being convicted of accepting 1.8 billion yuan in bribes. Another former official, Li Jianping, was executed in 2024 after being found guilty of corruption involving more than 3 billion yuan.

Did Yang cooperate with investigators?

State media reported that Yang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse during the trial. The court also acknowledged that he cooperated with investigators by providing information during the investigation.

However, judges ruled that his assistance did not outweigh the seriousness of his crimes. They concluded that the scale of the offences and the losses caused to the state were too severe to justify a lighter punishment, leaving the death sentence in place.

South Korean president sentenced to 30 years in prison

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison over charges linked to a military drone operation allegedly carried out before his failed martial law declaration in December 2024.

The ruling was delivered on Friday, June 12, by the Seoul Central District Court, which found the former leader guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy.