Former Shanxi governor sentenced to death with reprieve for bribery

Jin Xiangjun, former governor of Shanxi province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Tuesday by a court in Henan province for accepting bribes of over 148 million yuan ($22.05 million).

He was also stripped of political rights for life, and all of his personal assets were confiscated, according to the ruling announced by the Xinyang Intermediate People's Court. In addition, his illicit gains and related interest were seized and would be turned over to the State treasury.

The court found that Jin, from the first half of 2004 to April 2025, took advantage of his positions — including mayor of Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, vice-mayor of Tianjin, and governor of Shanxi — to seek benefits for relevant departments and individuals in various matters such as business operation, project contracting, and job promotion. In exchange, he accepted bribes worth more than 148 million yuan.

The court said that Jin's behavior has constituted the crime of bribery and he should be sentenced to death because the sum of his bribes was "extremely large" and the losses he brought to the country and the people were "extremely huge".

Considering that he failed to obtain some bribes, confessed to the crime, voluntarily reported most bribes unknown to investigators, and actively returned his illicit gains, the court added that it decided to provide a leniency to him, giving him a suspended death.

Jin, 62, a native of Hunan province, joined the Communist Party of China in November 1984 and began his career in July 1990. He had held various positions in Sichuan and Hainan provinces, and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

In early 2018, he moved to Tianjin, where he served as deputy mayor. He was named governor of Shanxi in January 2023, after moving to the province at the end of 2022.

He was placed under investigation in April 2025. Six months later, he was expelled from the CPC and dismissed from public office.

In March, he was indicted on the charges of bribery, and the court publicly heard the case on June 11, where he pleaded guilty to the crime.