China has ordered the death of a former government official over $324m in corruption charges Corruption Issues

Yang Youlin, a former official in the eastern city of Nanjing, accepted bribes to change businesses, the court said.

A court in China has ruled that a former official in the city of Nanjing in the east of the country has been killed for accepting bribes.

Yang Youlin received more than 2.2 billion yuan ($324m) in cash and property while holding various government positions from 1993 to 2023, the Changzhou Central Court said on Monday.

The bribes were paid to Yang to help “develop projects, businesses, real estate investment and operating expenses”, the Jiangsu provincial court said.

Yang was also found guilty of embezzlement, bribery, misuse of public funds, abuse of power and embezzlement in one of the most serious corruption cases in recent years in terms of the amount of bribery involved.

Yang, who was pictured wearing a black jacket standing between two uniformed police officers in a photo released by court officials, gave a final speech that “expressed his guilt and remorse”, the court said.

Reuters could not reach Yang or his lawyer for comment.

Public hearings in the case were held over two days in March and April, and more than 30 people attended, according to the court.

The court said Yang’s property will be confiscated and authorities will try to recover all the money he received in bribes.

Yang was investigated as part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign, which critics say was used to oust Xi’s opponents.

He is the last official to be sentenced to death for corruption in recent years in China.

In 2021, Lai Xiaomin, the party secretary of a state-owned company, was sentenced to death and executed on charges of bribery, embezzlement and racketeering.

In 2024, Li Jianping, an employee in Inner Mongolia, was executed after being found guilty of bribery.

In another major case, Zhang Zhongsheng, an official in Shanxi province, was sentenced to death in 2018 for accepting more than 1 billion in bribes.

Zhang’s sentence was commuted to a suspended death sentence and life imprisonment in 2021 following an appeal.