Chinese Court Issues Suspended Death Sentence to Former Senior Political Adviser for Corruption
Just days after a Chinese tech executive received a death sentence, another high-profile figure has faced a similar fate. A Chinese court has sentenced Han Yong, a 68-year-old former senior political adviser, to a suspended death sentence for accepting massive bribes and abusing his authority over three decades.
The Nanning Intermediate People’s Court announced that Han’s sentence includes a two-year reprieve from execution. According to Chinese law, if he avoids further criminal activity during this period, the sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment.
The court determined that Han accepted bribes totaling 261 million yuan (approximately $36.2 million) between 1993 and 2023. These bribes included both cash and property. In return, he used his influential positions in Jilin, Xinjiang, and Shaanxi provinces to provide illegal assistance to businesses and individuals with operations, project contracts, and staffing decisions.
In addition to the suspended death sentence, Han was permanently stripped of his political rights, and all of his personal assets were ordered to be confiscated. The illicit gains he received have been turned over to the state.
Han held several important posts during his political career, including chair of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and deputy director of the national CPPCC’s Committee of Population, Resources, and Environment.
The court acknowledged Han’s cooperation during the investigation, his full confession, and his efforts to return the corrupt proceeds, which contributed to the suspended nature of the sentence.
Han came under investigation in October 2023 for “serious violations of laws and regulations.” China’s top anti-corruption bodies—the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission—led the probe. In April 2024, Han was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.
Han’s sentence is the second major ruling this month involving top-level corruption. Just last week, Zhao Weiguo, former head of semiconductor firm Tsinghua Unigroup, also received a suspended death sentence for serious financial crimes, including embezzlement and abuse of power.