Former Nanchong Party secretary sentenced to life for bribery

Gu Zhengju, former Party secretary of Nanchong, Sichuan province, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for accepting bribes worth more than 124 million yuan ($18.4 million), according to the Panzhihua Intermediate People's Court.

The court also deprived Gu of his political rights for life and ordered the confiscation of all his personal property.

The court found that between 2007 and 2023, Gu used his positions in Gaoxian county, Dazhou, and Nanchong, as well as influence derived from his authority and status, to help organizations and individuals secure construction contracts and obtain project payments.

During the period, he illegally accepted money and valuables totaling more than 124 million yuan.

The court said Gu's conduct constituted the crime of accepting bribes. The amount involved was particularly large and caused especially serious losses to the interests of the State and the people.

The court publicly heard the case on May 29, 2025, and July 23, 2026.