A former senior official in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province has been sentenced to death after being found guilty of accepting bribes, underscoring Beijing’s continued hardline stance against corruption among public officials.
State media reported that Yang Youlin, former executive deputy director of the administrative committee of the Nanjing Development Zone, received the death sentence from the Intermediate People’s Court of Changzhou City on Monday.
In addition to the capital sentence, the court ordered the lifelong deprivation of Yang’s political rights and the confiscation of all his personal assets.
The court found Yang guilty of accepting bribes during his tenure in public office, although details of the value of the illicit gains and the specific period over which the offences were committed were not immediately disclosed.
The case forms part of China’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has intensified under President Xi Jinping. Since taking office in 2012, Xi has overseen an extensive crackdown targeting both senior officials, often referred to as “tigers”, and lower-ranking civil servants, known as “flies”, in an effort to strengthen party discipline and restore public confidence in government institutions.
The campaign has resulted in investigations and prosecutions involving thousands of officials across government agencies, state-owned enterprises, the military and the financial sector. Authorities have increasingly imposed severe penalties, including lengthy prison terms and, in particularly serious corruption cases, death sentences or suspended death sentences that may later be commuted to life imprisonment.
Nanjing Development Zone is one of Jiangsu Province’s major industrial and investment hubs, playing a key role in attracting domestic and foreign investment and supporting regional economic development.
Chinese authorities have repeatedly stated that the anti-corruption drive remains a long-term priority, with regulators and disciplinary bodies continuing to pursue officials accused of abusing public office for personal gain
