A court in eastern China has sentenced Yang Youlin, a former city official, to death for accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan ($325 million) in bribes over a span of three decades. Yang, 69, was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering, with his illicit gains representing one of the largest amounts seen in recent corruption cases.
During his tenure in various positions in Nanjing city from 1993 to 2023, Yang exploited his authority to facilitate engineering contracts, land transfers, and financing for companies in exchange for money and valuables, according to state media reports. The court in Changzhou city stated that Yang committed offenses of an "extremely serious nature" and caused "exceptionally heavy losses to the interests of the state and the people."
Yang's case is part of President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted various sectors, including the military and high-level banking. While President Xi's administration has intensified efforts against corruption, critics have suggested the crackdown may also serve to eliminate political adversaries. However, death sentences for white-collar crimes remain uncommon in China, typically reserved for cases involving sums exceeding 1 billion yuan. Notable previous cases include former finance chief Lai Xiaomin, executed in 2021 for accepting 1.8 billion yuan in bribes over ten years, and Li Jianping, an Inner Mongolia official executed in 2024 for embezzling and taking bribes totaling over 3 billion yuan.
In many other instances, courts have imposed jail terms or suspended death sentences, which are usually commuted to life imprisonment. While Yang did provide assistance to authorities, the court determined his offenses were too grave to warrant a more lenient punishment. State media reported that Yang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in his final statement.