Former vice-governor given death sentence

Li Zaiyong, a former senior political adviser from Guizhou province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by the Fifth Intermediate People's Court of Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday for accepting bribes of over 432 million yuan ($60.27 million) and abuse of power.

Li, a former vice-chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was also deprived of his political rights for life and had all his personal property confiscated. The illicit gains from his corrupt activities and interest earned on them will be turned over to the State treasury, with any shortfall further pursued.

From 1998 to last year, Li made use of his positions — including as mayor of Guiyang, the provincial capital, Party chief of Liupanshui and vice-governor of Guizhou — to provide assistance in project contracting, land acquisition and project planning approvals to people in exchange for illegal gains amounting to more than 432 million yuan, most of which was not actually obtained.

From 2014 to 2017, while serving as Party chief of Liupanshui and director of the Liupanshui urban and rural planning and construction committee, Li unlawfully initiated the construction of tourism development projects that caused more than 86.45 million yuan in environmental damage.

The court determined that Li's actions constituted the crimes of accepting bribes and abuse of power. Given the large amount of bribes he received, the particularly severe nature of his offenses, the extremely negative societal impact and the significant losses inflicted upon the State and the public, the death penalty was deemed appropriate for the conviction for accepting bribes. His abuse of power had also resulted in substantial losses to public assets, national interests and the people, it said.

The fact that Li did not actually receive most of the bribes, coupled with his cooperation with authorities — he voluntarily surrendered, offered a full confession and provided law enforcement information about crimes committed by others, which was later verified — he received a lighter punishment, the court said.

Li, 62, is a member of the Gelao ethnic group. A native of Guizhou, he joined the Communist Party of China in 1984 and had worked in Guizhou since 1983.

He became a vice-chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the CPPCC in 2022.

In February, he was prosecuted on charges of accepting bribes and abuse of power by Chongqing prosecutors. The court heard his case in May, when he pleaded guilty.