How much is too much when it comes to corruption? In China, the answer can carry the ultimate penalty.
A court in eastern China has sentenced former Nanjing official Yang Youlin to death.
He was found guilty of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan ($325 million) in bribes over three decades.
The 69-year-old was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering.
His case is one of the country’s biggest corruption scandals in recent years.
Prosecutors said Yang used his influential positions between 1993 and 2023 to help businesses secure engineering contracts, land deals and financing.
In exchange, he received cash and expensive gifts.
Tough Anti-Graft Message
The court ruled that his crimes were “of an extremely serious nature” and caused “exceptionally heavy losses” to the state and the public.
The case is part of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has reached senior officials, military leaders and top bankers.
Supporters see the crackdown as essential for cleaning up government.
While critics argue it has also been used to sideline political rivals.
Although Yang pleaded guilty, expressed remorse and assisted investigators, judges said the scale of his offences outweighed any cooperation.
The ruling sends a blunt message: in China’s fight against corruption, the higher the stakes, the harsher the consequences.
