Former CPPCC official gets 12 years in bribery case

Yang Xiaowei, former deputy director of the Committee on Education, Science, Health and Sports of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for bribery, the Xiangyang Intermediate People's Court in Hubei province announced on Tuesday.

The court also fined Yang 3 million yuan ($449,000). All illicit gains from the bribery, along with any proceeds derived from them, have been recovered and will be turned over to the State treasury, the court said.

According to the court, Yang took advantage of his positions from 2004 to 2025, including deputy general manager of China United Network Communications Group Co, deputy general manager and general manager of China Telecom Group, deputy director of the National Radio and Television Administration, and his post at the CPPCC, to seek benefits for organizations and individuals in matters including securing investments, bidding for projects and undertaking construction contracts.

In return, Yang illegally accepted money and property worth more than 33.19 million yuan in total, either directly or through his relatives, the court said.

The court held a public hearing in the case on June 25, finding that Yang's actions constituted bribery and that the amount involved was especially large, warranting punishment in accordance with the law.

However, the court said it had taken several mitigating circumstances into account. Yang confessed to his crimes after being taken into custody, voluntarily disclosed most of his bribery offenses that investigators had not previously uncovered, expressed remorse and actively returned his illicit gains. All proceeds from the bribery, including related earnings, had been recovered.

In light of these circumstances, the court decided to impose a lighter sentence, it said.