Ex-Hunan legislature vice-chairman faces bribery charges

Ye Hongzhuan, a former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress, has been prosecuted on charges of taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Wednesday.

The Guiyang People's Procuratorate in Guizhou province recently filed an indictment against Ye with the Guiyang Intermediate People's Court, according to the SPP.

Prosecutors allege that Ye abused positions he held as deputy Party chief and governor of the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Party chief of the prefecture, and vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress to seek benefits for others and illegally accept an especially large amount of money and valuables.

The SPP said that during the review and prosecution process, prosecutors informed Ye of his procedural rights, questioned him and heard the opinions of his defense counsel. Prosecutors said Ye should be held criminally responsible for bribery.

The National Commission of Supervision investigated the case before transferring it to prosecutors for review and prosecution. The SPP approved Ye's arrest on suspicion of bribery and designated the Guiyang People's Procuratorate to handle the case.

Ye, 68, a native of Hunan province, began working in 1975 and spent his career in the province. He served as deputy Party chief and governor of the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture from 2009 to 2013 before becoming the prefecture's Party chief, a position he held until 2021. He became vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People's Congress in 2018 while continuing to serve as prefecture Party chief for several years. He retired from the provincial legislature in early 2022.

Ye was placed under investigation in December 2025 and expelled from the Communist Party of China in June 2026.

In a statement issued in June, anti-graft authorities said Ye had a seriously distorted view of political performance, incurred debt in violation of regulations, pursued "image projects" and "vanity projects", and failed to properly perform his duties, resulting in major economic losses to the State.

The statement also accused Ye of resisting the investigation and failing to report personal matters as required. He was further accused of seeking benefits for others in personnel appointments in exchange for money and valuables, improperly accepting cash gifts, obtaining large returns through private lending, and using his authority to benefit relatives' business activities.