Former tobacco administration official prosecuted on bribery charges

Han Zhanwu, a former deputy head of China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, has been prosecuted on charges of accepting bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Tuesday.

The case was investigated by the National Commission of Supervision before being transferred to procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution.

Following the SPP's designation of jurisdiction, the Jiangxi Provincial People's Procuratorate approved Han's arrest on suspicion of bribery. The Jiujiang People's Procuratorate in Jiangxi province recently filed charges against him with the Jiujiang Intermediate People's Court.

According to the indictment, Han allegedly took advantage of his positions as Party chief and director of the China Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Tendering Center, director of the Personnel and Education Department and head of the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and deputy director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration to seek benefits for others in exchange for an especially large amount of money and valuables.

Prosecutors said Han should be held criminally responsible for bribery. During the review and prosecution process, prosecutors informed him of his legal rights, questioned him and heard the opinions of his defense counsel.

Han, 59, worked at the National Development and Reform Commission before transferring to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in 2008. He became director of the China Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Tendering Center in 2010, director of the ministry's Personnel and Education Department in 2016, and head of its General Office in 2019. In April 2020, he was appointed deputy director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration.

He was placed under investigation in October 2025 and later removed from office. In April 2026, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China and dismissed from public service.

According to disciplinary and supervisory authorities, Han violated the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving conduct by improperly accepting gifts and shopping cards. He also failed to properly report personal matters, sought benefits for others in staff recruitment in exchange for money, and engaged in improper sexual relationships involving exchanges of power or money.

Authorities said Han had turned public power into a tool for personal gain, accepted especially large amounts of money and property, and used his positions to help others in business operations and other matters.