A Chinese court in Changzhou, eastern China, has sentenced former senior Nanjing official Yang Youlin to death after convicting him of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan (approximately $325 million) in bribes over three decades. The 69-year-old was found guilty of bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering, with judges ruling that his actions caused substantial losses to the state and seriously undermined public interest.
Details of the Corruption Case
Prosecutors stated that Yang abused multiple public offices he held in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023 to obtain unlawful financial benefits, according to BBC reports. He accepted money and valuable gifts in exchange for helping individuals and companies secure engineering projects, land transactions, and financing approvals. The court described the offences as exceptionally serious, noting that the scale of corruption justified the death penalty.
Anti-Corruption Campaign Context
China has pursued an extensive anti-corruption campaign since President Xi Jinping 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 later reduced to life imprisonment, executions for economic crimes remain relatively uncommon. Courts reserve 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 for corruption involving more than 3 billion yuan.
Defendant's Cooperation and Sentencing
State media reported that Yang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse during the trial. The court acknowledged that he cooperated with investigators by providing information. However, judges ruled that his assistance did not outweigh the seriousness of his crimes, concluding 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.
