Former Peking University VP sentenced to 8 years for bribery

Former Peking University vice-president Ren Yuzhong was sentenced to eight years in prison by a court in Liaoning province for taking bribes.

Ren was also fined 2.6 million yuan ($386,726), and his illicit gains and related interests were confiscated and ordered to be turned over to the State treasury, according to the ruling announced by the Dandong Intermediate People's Court.

The court found that Ren, from 2006 to 2025, took advantage of his positions in the university, including head of policy research, head of human resources, and head of the publicity department, to seek benefits for other individuals and organizations in various matters such as education, training and career development. In return, he accepted bribes worth more than 31.95 million yuan.

The court said that Ren should be harshly penalized because his behavior has constituted the crime of bribery and the amount involved was "extremely large". However, considering the fact that he turned himself in, voluntarily reported various bribes unknown to investigators, confessed to the offense and actively returned the illicit gains, the court decided to exercise leniency in sentencing him.

Public information shows that the 46-year-old native of Sichuan province, graduated from the School of International Studies at the Peking University and worked at the university for decades. He was appointed head of the publicity department of the university's Party committee and university spokesperson in 2020.

Three years later, he became a member of the standing committee of the university's Party committee and secretary-general. In 2024, he was promoted to vice-president.

In September 2025, he was placed under investigation. At the end of last year, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China and dismissed from public office.

In March, he was prosecuted by Dandong prosecutors for alleged bribery, and the court publicly heard the case on June 5, where more than 20 individuals, including national lawmakers and political advisers, attended the trial.