China Sentences Official to Death for Taking $325M in Bribes

China sentences official to death for taking $325M in bribes

A former Nanjing official, Yang Youlin, has been sentenced to death for accepting over $325 million in bribes over three decades. Convicted of embezzlement and abuse of power, his case stands out as one of the largest corruption scandals in recent years. Despite pleading guilty and offering assistance to authorities, the court ruled his crimes were too grave for leniency, marking a rare death penalty for white-collar crime under President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign.

"While Yang provided similar assistance to authorities, his offences were so grave that his assistance was insufficient to warrant a more lenient punishment."