A court in eastern China has sentenced former Nanjing city official Yang Youlin to death for accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan ($325 million) in bribes over three decades. The 69-year-old was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering, with his ill-gotten gains ranking among the highest in recent years.
Details of the Crimes
Yang Youlin served in various positions in Nanjing from 1993 to 2023, exploiting his roles to help others secure engineering contracts, land transfers, and financing in exchange for money and valuables, according to state media. His career focused on economic and technological development in the city.
The Changzhou court stated on Monday, July 6, 2026, that Yang committed offenses "of an extremely serious nature" and "caused exceptionally heavy losses to the interests of the state and the people."
Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Yang was investigated as part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted military ranks, high-level banking, and other sectors. Since coming to power, Xi has launched waves of anti-corruption drives, which critics say have also been used to purge political rivals.
Death sentences for white-collar crimes remain rare but are occasionally meted out for cases involving sums exceeding 1 billion yuan. For example, former finance chief Lai Xiaomin was executed in 2021 for taking 1.8 billion yuan in bribes. Li Jianping, a former Inner Mongolia official, was executed in 2024 for embezzling and taking bribes totaling more than 3 billion yuan.
Sentence and Remorse
In many cases, courts hand down jail terms or suspended death sentences, which are commuted to life imprisonment after a specified duration. Sentences are sometimes reduced if the convicted individuals report on other offenders. Although Yang provided similar assistance, the court ruled his offenses were so "grave" that his assistance "was insufficient to warrant a more lenient punishment."
Yang pleaded guilty and "expressed remorse in his final statement," according to state media.
