Former CNOOC executive charged in bribery case

Yuan Guangyu, former deputy general manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, was officially charged by the People's Procuratorate of Xuzhou in Jiangsu province, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said in a statement on Thursday.

Prior to this, the National Supervisory Commission concluded its investigation into Yuan's case and transferred it to the procuratorial organ for examination and prosecution. Upon the designated jurisdiction by the SPP, the Jiangsu Provincial People's Procuratorate approved Yuan's arrest on suspicion of bribery.

During the examination and prosecution phase, prosecutors informed Yuan of his litigation rights as a defendant, interrogated him, and listened to the opinions of his defender.

The procuratorial organ alleged in the indictment that Yuan — taking advantage of his positions as director of CNOOC Bohai oil administration bureau and executive vice-president and president of CNOOC Limited — sought benefits for relevant units and individuals and illegally accepted property from others, with an extremely huge amount involved. He shall be held criminally responsible for the crime of acceptance of bribes.

Yuan, 66, has worked in the CNOOC system for a long time. He was placed under investigation in March 2025.