Former CNOOC executive sentenced to suspended death for bribery

Yuan Guangyu, former deputy general manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by a court in Jiangsu province for accepting bribes worth more than 152 million yuan ($22.49 million).

Yuan was also deprived of political rights for life, and all his personal assets were confiscated, according to the ruling announced by the Xuzhou Intermediate People's Court.

In addition, his illicit gains and related interests were ordered to be seized and turned over to the State treasury, the ruling noted.

Following an investigation, the court found that from 2001 to 2022, Yuan took advantage of his positions in the offshore oil corporation to seek benefits for relevant individuals and organizations in matters including project contracting, business operations and job adjustments, and accepted bribes worth more than 152 million yuan in return.

The court said Yuan's conduct constituted the crime of bribery and should be sentenced to death due to the "particularly large" amount of bribes involved and the "extremely huge" losses caused to the interests of the country and the people.

However, it decided to grant leniency in sentencing because Yuan confessed to the crime, voluntarily reported some offenses that had not yet been discovered by investigators, and actively returned his illegal proceeds.

In China, a suspended death sentence is typically commuted to life imprisonment if no new crimes are committed during the two-year probation period. The sentence may be further reduced for good behavior by the inmate.

Public records show that Yuan, 67, a native of Tianjin, had worked in the offshore oil system for decades. In August 2016, he became deputy general manager of China National Offshore Oil Corp, the country's largest producer of offshore oil and gas. In 2019, he retired from public office.

In March 2025, he was placed under disciplinary and supervisory investigation. Four months later, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China.

At the end of 2025, he was prosecuted for suspected bribery, and the court publicly heard his case on March 19, when a number of people, including national lawmakers and national political advisers, attended the trial.