Ex-Inner Mongolia court chief jailed 14 years for massive bribes

Hu Yifeng, former president of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region's high court, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Tuesday for taking bribes exceeding 37 million yuan ($5.1 million).

The Xinzhou Intermediate People's Court also imposed a 3.2 million yuan fine and ordered Hu to forfeit all illicit gains and related interests to the state treasury.

The court found that Hu, 69, abused his various positions within the regional court system between 1997 and 2018 to manipulate project contracts, job promotions, and case handling for personal gain. In return, he received over 35.54 million yuan in bribes.

Even after Hu's retirement in 2019, he leveraged his influence to secure another 2 million yuan in bribes, bringing the total to over 37 million yuan.

While acknowledging the severity of Hu's crimes and the exceptionally large bribe amount, the court acknowledged his mitigating factors: pleading guilty, confessing previously unknown bribes, and actively returning illicit gains. These led to a "lenient" sentence.

Hu, a native of Inner Mongolia, joined the Communist Party of China in 1976 and began his judicial career in 1971. He served as the region's high court president from 2011 to 2018.

Disciplinary and supervisory investigations against Hu began in April 2022, culminating in his expulsion from the Party in September. He was indicted for bribery in February 2023 and stood trial nine months later.