Former Chinese official sentenced to death in US$323 million bribery case

A court in eastern China has imposed a rare death sentence on a former municipal official for amassing over 2.2 billion yuan (US$323.8 million) in bribes, marking one of the most severe punishments for economic crimes in recent memory.

Yang Youlin, who previously served as executive deputy director of the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone management committee, was found guilty on multiple charges including bribery, embezzlement, misappropriating public funds, abuse of power, and money laundering. The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu province delivered its verdict on Monday, imposing a consolidated death sentence and permanently stripping Yang of his political rights while ordering the confiscation of all his personal assets.

The court detailed that Yang’s corruption spanned three decades, from 1993 to 2023. He leveraged his positions in Nanjing to assist private companies and individuals, manipulating engineering contracts, business operations, land transfers, and financial turnovers in exchange for substantial kickbacks. Authorities are empowered to continue recovering any outstanding illicit gains.