Former Chinese minister sentenced to death for accepting bribes

Former Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tang Renjian, was sentenced to death this Sunday, with a two-year reprieve, for accepting multimillion-dollar bribes, reports Xinhua. According to the sentence, issued by the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court, in Jilin province, Tang has also been deprived of his political rights for life. It is detailed that all his personal property will be confiscated and his illegal gains from bribery will be recovered and delivered to the national treasury. Tang pleaded guilty and expressed his remorse in his final statement.

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The court determined that, between 2007 and 2024, the former official abused his position in various roles, both at the central and local levels, facilitating assistance to others in matters related to business management, project contracting, and professional relocation. In exchange for these favors, he received money and assets valued at more than 268 million yuan (about 38 million dollars).

The death sentence with suspension is a penal punishment contemplated in the law of the People’s Republic of China, which grants the condemned two years of suspension prior to execution. The person will be executed if it is determined that they intentionally commit more crimes during that period. Otherwise, the sentence is automatically reduced to life imprisonment, without the possibility of commutation or parole.