Han Yong, a former senior national political adviser, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting massive bribes during a political career that spanned over four decades. The ruling was handed down Monday by the Nanning Intermediate People’s Court in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
The 68-year-old former official was also permanently stripped of his political rights, and all of his personal assets were ordered confiscated. According to the court, illicit funds and profits derived from them will be turned over to the national treasury.
Investigators found that between 1993 and 2023, Han exploited his influence and official posts across Jilin and Shaanxi provinces, as well as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, to seek benefits for businesses and individuals. In exchange for facilitating project contracts, personnel appointments, and business operations, Han accepted bribes amounting to more than 261 million yuan (approximately $36.1 million), the court found.
Describing the case, the court said Han’s actions “constituted the crime of bribery,” adding that the amount involved was “extremely huge” and the damage caused to public interests was “extremely large,” which merited the death penalty.
However, the sentence was suspended for two years in light of mitigating factors. The court acknowledged that Han confessed to the charges, demonstrated remorse, voluntarily returned some of the illegal gains, and disclosed additional bribes previously unknown to investigators. He also reportedly failed to secure some of the promised bribes.
In China’s legal system, a death sentence with reprieve is typically commuted to life imprisonment if the convict does not commit further crimes during the suspension period. Further reductions are possible based on behavior and rehabilitation.
Han Yong, a native of Jilin province, began his career in 1974 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1976. After earning a law degree, he held various roles in prosecutorial offices and disciplinary commissions in Jilin and Xinjiang.
His political ascent continued in 2016 when he became chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He later served as deputy head of the CPPCC National Committee’s Committee on Population, Resources and Environment from March 2022 to March 2023.
Han’s downfall began in October 2023, when he was placed under investigation. He was expelled from the Communist Party in April last year, formally charged with bribery in August, and tried in a public hearing in December.
His conviction marks yet another high-profile development in China’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which continues to target officials at all levels of government.
