appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Xinlu Liang

A court in eastern China has handed down a rare death sentence to a former municipal official convicted of taking more than 2.2 billion yuan (US$323.8 million) in bribes, marking one of the harshest punishments for economic crimes in recent years.
Yang Youlin, who once served as executive deputy director of the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone management committee, was found guilty of bribery, embezzlement, misappropriating public funds, abuse of power and money laundering. The Changzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangsu province delivered the verdict on Monday.
The court imposed a consolidated death sentence, stripping Yang of his political rights for life and ordering the confiscation of all personal assets. His ill-gotten gains and their yields have been seized and turned over to the state treasury, with authorities empowered to continue recovering any outstanding amounts.
According to the court’s findings, Yang’s history of corruption spanned three decades, from 1993 to 2023.
Leveraging his powerful positions in a district in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, Yang provided illicit help to private companies and individuals. His titles included director of the Jiangning District Construction Bureau and general manager of the Jiangning Economic and Technological Development Group.
The court found that he manipulated engineering contracts, business operations, land transfers and financial turnovers in exchange for staggering kickbacks.
In total, Yang illegally accepted property and funds valued at more than 2.214 billion yuan.
The bribery sum alone dwarfs many previous corruption cases and is one of the biggest ever recorded in a Chinese court.
The court also found that between 2014 and 2016, Yang colluded with others to embezzle 12 million yuan in government funds. He also offered over 25 million yuan in bribes to other state officials to secure unlawful benefits, misappropriated 15 million yuan of public funds for private business operations, and caused 23 million yuan in direct economic losses to the state through unauthorised property demolitions and illegal land fee refunds.
In 2023, he tried to launder 1 million yuan in criminal proceeds through a company he controlled.


Judges acknowledged that Yang had provided information leading to the exposure of other crimes, which normally counts as a “meritorious service” that could lead to a lighter sentence, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
However, the court ruled that the “extremely huge bribe amounts, particularly serious criminal circumstances, extremely vile social impact and especially heavy losses to the state and the people” made his offences so egregious that no leniency was warranted.
Yang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse during his public trials in March and April.
Death sentences for white-collar crime remain exceptional in China.
In 2018, Zhang Zhongsheng, former vice-mayor of Luliang in Shanxi province, was sentenced to death for accepting 1.04 billion yuan in bribes. But in 2021, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment without parole after he successfully returned the stolen assets and exposed other high-level corruption.
The most prominent recent execution was that of Lai Xiaomin, the former chairman of China Huarong Asset Management, who was put to death in 2021 for bribery totalling 1.79 billion yuan.
In December 2025, another Huarong executive, Bai Tianhui, Lai’s subordinate, was executed after a two-year reprieve for taking more than 1.1 billion yuan in bribes.
Li Jianping, former Communist Party chief of the Hohhot Economic and Technological Development Zone in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, was sentenced to death in September 2022 and executed in December 2024. His crimes involved a staggering 3 billion yuan, including 577 million in bribes, 1.44 billion in embezzlement and 1.05 billion in misappropriation.


China’s corruption investigation procedures

China’s anti-corruption campaign is here to stay

China strips former generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of top military positions

Xi’s crusade against corruption has gone well beyond economic crime

Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign

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

Former official Yang Youlin’s (centre) history of corruption spans three decades, according to a court in east China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: CCTV

Just how far are China’s local officials going in falsifying performance data?

Chinese anti-corruption authorities have highlighted typical cases of misconduct in official duties and performance evaluations. Photo: Reuters

China removes 6 generals from legislature as military anti-corruption drive continues

The PLA commanders were among the 13 legislators who were removed. Photo: Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping appoints new military anti-corruption chief

The promotions were announced at a ceremony in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua


News

China

Politics

The punishment given to Yang Youlin is one of the harshest handed down in a corruption case in China in recent years


The punishment given to Yang Youlin is one of the harshest handed down in a corruption case in China in recent years.


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

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The punishment given to Yang Youlin is one of the harshest handed down in a corruption case in China in recent years

The punishment given to Yang Youlin is one of the harshest handed down in a corruption case in China in recent years