A court in eastern China sentenced a former high-ranking municipal official to death on Monday for accepting over 2.2 billion yuan ($324 million) in bribes.
The Changzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu province handed down the verdict against Yang Youlin, marking one of the nation's harshest punishments for economic crimes in recent years.
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Yang, who formerly served as the executive deputy director of the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone management committee, was convicted of bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power, and money laundering.
According to court findings, his illicit activities spanned three decades from 1993 to 2023 across multiple powerful government posts in Nanjing.
The court ordered a consolidated death sentence, stripped Yang of his political rights for life, and directed the total confiscation of his personal assets to the state treasury.
Officials noted that the massive kickbacks were given in exchange for Yang manipulating engineering contracts, land transfers, business operations, and financial turnover for private entities.
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During the legal proceedings, the defendant acknowledged his actions before the judiciary. Yang delivered a final statement that "expressed his guilt and remorse", the court said.
Public hearings for the landmark corruption case took place over two days spanning March and April, drawing more than 30 attendees.
While authorities continue to recover outstanding illicit gains, the Reuters news agency could not reach Yang or his lawyer for comment.
Yang's prosecution falls under Chinese President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-graft campaign.
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He follows several other high-profile officials executed for similar economic crimes in recent years, including state-owned company party secretary Lai Xiaomin in 2021 and local Inner Mongolia official Li Jianping in 2024.
