The People’s Court of Changchun in northeast Jilin province in China on Sunday sentenced former agricultural minister, Tang Renjian, to death on corruption charges, with a two-year reprieve, a court statement said.
According to a court statement issued on Sunday, Renjian accepted cash and property bribes totalling more than 268 million yuan ($38 million) between 2007 and 2024, the People’s Court of Changchun in northeast Jilin province said in a statement.
According to the statement, the court ruled that the bribes “caused particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people, and therefore warranted the death penalty”, adding that Tang had confessed to his crimes and expressed remorse.
Tang previously served as governor of the northwestern province of Gansu, as well as the vice chairman of southern autonomous region Guangxi.
Tang’s sentencing is the latest in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-graft campaign that has brought down several high-level figures.
Supporters of Xi’s anti-corruption drive say the campaign promotes clean governance, but critics argue it provides the president with the power to purge political rivals.
