Yunnan official gets 13-year bribery sentence

Huang Yi, a former senior political advisor from Yunnan province, was sentenced to 13 years in prison by a court in Chongqing for bribery on Tuesday.

Huang, former vice-chairman of the Yunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was also given a fine of 3 million yuan ($415,662), according to the ruling announced by the Chongqing No 1 Intermediate People's Court.

His illicit gains have also been turned over to the national treasury.

According to the court, from 2001 to 2022 the defendant made use of his various positions, including Party chief of the city of Baoshan and former vice-chairman of the CPPCC Yunnan Provincial Committee, to provide aid for other departments and individuals in construction contracts, project approvals and business operations. In return, he accepted bribes worth more than 34.95 million yuan.

"Huang's behavior has constituted the crime of bribery, and he should be harshly punished due to the large sum," the court said.

"Considering he confessed to the crime, voluntarily shared facts unknown to investigators and returned his illicit gains, we leniently penalized him."

Public information shows Huang, 64 and a native of Ruili in Yunnan, started work in September 1975 and joined the Communist Party of China in January 1981.

He was a teacher at Yunnan Agricultural University before he became deputy mayor of Ruili in 1989.

From 1996 to late 2001, he served as deputy head of the provincial foreign trade economic cooperation bureau. Then, he came to Baoshan, serving as the city's Party secretary between December 2001 to June 2005.

He was elected vice-chairman of the CPPCC Yunnan Provincial Committee in January 2017.

He was placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation in March last year, and his membership of the 12th CPPCC Yunnan Provincial Committee was revoked three months later.

He was expelled from the Party in August, and was prosecuted for alleged bribery early this year. On April 13, his case was publicly heard by the Chongqing court.