Former Sichuan official gets suspended death sentence for bribery

Song Chaohua, former deputy head of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Tuesday by a court in Guizhou province for bribery.

Song was also deprived of political rights for life, with all his personal assets confiscated. His illicit gains and related interests were seized and will be turned over to the State treasury, according to the ruling by the Guiyang Intermediate People's Court.

The court found that Song took advantage of his positions in Sichuan from 1993 to 2025 to seek benefits for relevant departments and individuals in matters including business operations and project contracting. In return, he accepted bribes totaling more than 148 million yuan ($22.09 million).

The court said Song's conduct constituted the crime of bribery and warranted the death penalty because the amount of bribes he accepted was "extremely large" and the losses he caused to the country and the people were "extremely huge".

However, the court took into consideration that Song had refused some bribes, confessed to his crimes, voluntarily reported some bribes that investigators were unaware of, and actively returned his illegal gains. It therefore decided to give him a suspended death sentence.

In China, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is typically commuted to life imprisonment if the inmate commits no new crime during the two-year reprieve period.

Public information shows that Song, 64, a native of Sichuan, joined the Communist Party of China in June 1983 and began his career as a teacher one month later. He spent decades working in his hometown and held various positions, including Party chief of Dayi county, mayor of Meishan and mayor of Nanchong.

He became deputy head of the Standing Committee of the Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, the province's top legislative body, in February 2021.

Song was placed under investigation in April 2025 and expelled from the CPC in November that year.

He was prosecuted on suspicion of bribery in March and his case was heard by the court on June 26, when he pleaded guilty.