Senior official given life sentence for taking 166m yuan in bribes

Gan Rongkun, former head of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Henan Provincial Committee, was given a life sentence on Wednesday for taking about 166 million yuan ($23.23 million) in bribes.

The Changzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangsu province handed down the sentence on Wednesday. It also deprived Gan of his political rights for life and confiscated all his personal property. The ill-gotten gains from the case will be turned over to the State treasury.

The court said that from 1999 to 2021, Gan made use of his different positions, including being head of the Beijing Customs district, vice-governor of Hubei province, and secretary of the political and legal affairs commissions of the CPC Heilongjiang and Henan provincial committees, to help others in obtain projects, run businesses and deal with cases. In return, he received directly, or via others, over 166 million yuan.

The court found Gan guilty of taking bribes, and said the amount involved was exceptionally large, resulting in particularly significant losses to the State and the people.

As Gan confessed his crimes after being apprehended, voluntarily disclosed criminal facts unknown to the investigators, reported the criminal activities of others, and actively returned embezzled funds and assets, the court said it gave him lenient punishment.

Gan, 61, hails from Jiangxi province. He began working in 1983 and joined the Party in 1996. He served as the head of the Beijing Customs district from 2007 to 2013, and was vice-governor of Hubei from 2013 to 2016.

Gan became secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee in September 2019, and was placed under investigation in June 2021.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate approved his arrest in December 2021. Changzhou's procuratorate launched the case against him in February last year.

Gan pleaded guilty when the Changzhou Intermediate People's Court heard the case in December 2022.