Former head of China's food reserves administration sentenced to 10 years in jail

A former high-ranking food official has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking bribes. Zhang Wufeng, the former director of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, was also fined one million yuan ($141,000) by the Intermediate People's Court of Deyang on Tuesday.

Zhang was accused of taking bribes totaling more than 16.47 million yuan ($2.3 million) from 2003 to 2022. He used his positions in the government to provide assistance to relevant units and individuals in matters such as project contracting and personnel selection.

In return for the bribes, Zhang received various benefits, including money, property, and gifts. He confessed to all of his crimes and voluntarily disclosed additional bribery facts that were not previously known to investigators. He also actively returned the bribes that he had received.

The court took these factors into account when determining Zhang's sentence. However, they also noted that Zhang's actions had caused serious harm to the country's interests and had undermined the public's trust in the government.

As a result, Zhang was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined one million yuan. His ill-gotten gains will be handed over to the state treasury.

Zhang, 63, is a native of Shandong province. He began his career in 1979 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1984. He served as the director of the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration from 2017 to June 2022.

Zhang was placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission in June 2022. He was expelled from the party in December 2022 and arrested one month later.

His case was first heard by the Intermediate People's Court of Deyang in September 2023. Zhang pleaded guilty and made a final statement in court.