Former China Unicom general manager jailed for 16 years for bribery, power abuse

QINGDAO -- Li Guohua, former general manager of China Unicom, was on Tuesday sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges of taking bribes and abuse of power.

Li was also fined 6 million yuan (about $845,000) and had his illegal gains confiscated and turned over to the state treasury, according to the sentence delivered by a court in the eastern city of Qingdao, Shandong Province.

The court found that between 1998 and 2022, Li had taken advantage of his various former positions in the post and telecommunications sector, as well as postal services, to offer assistance to others concerning project contracting, business operations and personal promotions.

Li accepted money and property worth more than 66.45 million yuan, and his illegal acts led to the loss of 49.96 million yuan worth of state-owned assets, the verdict read.

Li was given a lenient sentence given that he confessed his crimes, reported some of his crimes that supervisory organs had not yet resolved, showed remorse, and actively returned his illicit gains, according to the court.