Ex-Shanghai official sentenced to death with reprieve for bribery

Zhu Zhisong, a former senior official in Shanghai municipality, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by a court in Jiangxi province on Tuesday for taking bribes worth more than 139 million yuan ($20.5 million), China Central Television reported.

Zhu, who previously served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Shanghai Municipal Committee and former Party chief of the city's Pudong New Area, was also deprived of his political rights for life, and all his personal assets were confiscated. Zhu's illicit gains and related interests were ordered to be seized and turned over to the State treasury, while efforts continue to recover the remainder, according to the ruling announced by the Nanchang Intermediate People's Court.

The court found that Zhu illegally accepted money and gifts worth around 139 million yuan between 2003 and 2024. In return, he used his position to help certain parties operate businesses, secure project contracts, finance loans and gain other improper benefits.

Over the two decades, Zhu also held a number of positions in Shanghai.

The court said Zhu's conduct constituted the crime of bribery and warranted a death sentence, due to the exceptionally large amount involved and the severe losses caused to the interests of the country and the people. However, it decided to grant leniency in sentencing, as Zhu confessed to the crime, voluntarily disclosed the majority of criminal facts not yet known to the supervisory authorities, actively returned his illegal proceeds, and that the vast majority of the bribery proceeds have since been recovered.