CHINA JAILS FORMER JUSTICE MINISTER TANG YIJUN FOR LIFE OVER $20M BRIBERY SCANDAL
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A court in China on Monday sentenced a former Minister of Justice, Tang Yijun, to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of accepting bribes totalling nearly $20 million over more than a decade.
Tang, 64, served as China’s justice minister from 2020 to 2023 and previously held several senior positions, including Governor of Liaoning Province and Communist Party Secretary of Ningbo City.
According to a statement by the Xiamen Intermediate People’s Court in eastern China, Tang abused the authority of offices he held between 2006 and 2022 to obtain benefits for individuals and companies in exchange for bribes.
The court said Tang facilitated initial public offerings (IPOs), helped secure bank loans, assisted in land acquisitions, and intervened in other business matters in return for payments. In total, he received 137 million yuan (about $19.7 million).
Describing the offences as particularly grave, the court said the scale of bribery caused “extremely serious damage to the interests of the state and the people.”
However, the court noted mitigating factors, including Tang’s confession after arrest, expression of remorse, guilty plea, and cooperation with investigators, which influenced the sentencing decision.
Tang’s conviction adds to a growing list of senior officials ensnared in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, launched after he came to power in 2012. Critics argue the campaign has also been used to eliminate political rivals.
In 2022, another former justice minister, Fu Zhenghua, was convicted of corruption and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, later commuted to life imprisonment.
Last month, Chinese authorities also announced an anti-corruption investigation into Zhang Youxia, China’s most powerful general, marking one of the highest-profile military probes in decades.
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