Briefly

China executes former Inner Mongolia official

China on Tuesday executed Li Jianping, a former official in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, who was convicted of corruption, bribery, misappropriation of public funds and collusion with a criminal syndicate. The death sentence of Li, former secretary of the Communist Party of China working committee in the Hohhot economic and technological development zone, was initially handed down in September 2022 and upheld on appeal in August this year. Despite holding relatively modest local government positions, he was found guilty of embezzling over 1.4 billion yuan ($200 million) from State-owned enterprises, receiving gifts and money totaling more than 577 million yuan, and misappropriating over 1 billion yuan in public funds. In addition, Li was convicted of enabling illegal operations by a criminal syndicate under his watch.

Past vice-mayor of Chongqing sentenced

A former high-ranking official in Chongqing was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Tuesday for accepting over 148 million yuan ($20 million) in bribes while serving in several key government roles. Xiong Xue, who was once the city's vice-mayor and held other influential positions, was convicted of accepting illegal payments for helping individuals and companies secure government contracts and land deals. The Zhengzhou Intermediate People's Court handed down the sentence, which was suspended for two years, effectively meaning Xiong will not be executed unless he commits further crimes. The court also ordered the confiscation of all of his personal assets. Xiong's total illicit earnings amounted to more than 148 million yuan, with payments made directly or through intermediaries.

China Daily - Xinhua