Yunnan's ex-Party chief jailed for 7 years

Qin Guangrong, former Party chief of Southwest China's Yunnan province, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for bribery by the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court in Sichuan province on Tuesday.

Qin, 70, was also fined 1.5 million yuan ($230,000) and all his illegal gains were confiscated, the court said. After hearing the ruling, Qin said he would not appeal to a higher court.

The court said Qin took advantage of his various high positions from 2003 to 2014 in Yunnan to seek benefits for various individuals and entities on construction projects, equity transfers and job promotions.

In return, Qin illegally accepted vast sums of money and gifts directly or through his relatives from 2000 to 2018 that were worth 23.89 million yuan.

In April 2019, Qin turned himself in and he was placed under investigation for serious violations of discipline and law by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.

Qin voluntarily confessed his crimes, pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, and since all the bribe money and properties had been recovered, a lighter punishment was given, the court said.

The country's top anti-graft watchdog said Qin was the first provincial-level chief to surrender voluntarily.

Tuesday's verdict marked the downfall of a second successive Party chief in Yunnan. Qin's predecessor, Bai Enpei, was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of commutation or parole in 2016 for accepting bribes of more than 247 million yuan.