Former Hebei political adviser prosecuted for bribery and influence peddling

Jiang Deguo, a former vice-chairman of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been prosecuted on charges of taking bribes and using influence for bribery, the Supreme People's Procuratorate announced on Tuesday.

The case was investigated by the National Commission of Supervision before being transferred to prosecutors for review and prosecution. The SPP approved Jiang's arrest and designated the Binzhou People's Procuratorate in Shandong province to handle the case. The procuratorate recently filed the indictment with the Binzhou Intermediate People's Court.

Prosecutors accused Jiang of exploiting his former positions, including mayor and Party chief of Xingtai, mayor of Shijiazhuang, Party chief of Tangshan, vice-governor of Hebei, and vice-chairman of the provincial committee of the CPPCC, to seek benefits for others and illegally accept valuables in return.

After leaving office, Jiang allegedly used the influence formed by his former positions to seek improper benefits for others through the actions of other State functionaries and illegally accepted a large number of valuables. Prosecutors stated that Jiang should be held criminally responsible for the crimes of taking bribes and using influence for bribery.

During the review and prosecution stage, prosecutors informed Jiang of his litigation rights, questioned him, and heard the opinions of his defense counsel, the SPP reported.

Jiang, 69, is a native of Hebei. He began working in 1976 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1984. He spent his career in Hebei, serving as mayor and Party secretary of Xingtai, mayor of Shijiazhuang, Party secretary of Tangshan, and vice-governor of Hebei. He became vice-chairman of the provincial CPPCC committee in 2017 and retired in 2018.

He was placed under investigation in September 2025 and expelled from the Party in March 2026.

Anti-graft authorities reported that Jiang had privately listened to and kept audio materials with serious political problems and resisted organizational investigation. He accepted banquets that could affect the impartial performance of official duties, improperly accepted travel arrangements and medical services, failed to report personal matters as required, and did not truthfully explain issues when responding to organizational inquiries.

They stated that he sought benefits for others in cadre selection, accepted gifts and property, used his power to benefit relatives' business activities, improperly held shares in unlisted companies, engaged in power-for-sex transactions, and interfered in law enforcement activities. The authorities also accused Jiang of being greedy, engaging in power-for-money transactions, and continuing to use the influence of his former posts after retirement to seek benefits for others in project land use and major project applications.