China’s former agriculture minister Tang Renjian was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Sunday after being convicted of taking bribes worth more than 268 million yuan ($38 million), a court in northeast Jilin province said.
The People’s Court of Changchun said Tang accepted cash and property between 2007 and 2024, and that his conduct “caused particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people.” The suspended sentence is typically commuted to life imprisonment after the reprieve period.
Tang, who previously served as governor of the northwestern province of Gansu and vice chairman of the Guangxi autonomous region, confessed and expressed remorse, the court said.
His conviction is the latest in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has felled senior officials across sectors including defence, finance and state-owned enterprises.
Two former defence ministers, Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe, were also brought down in graft probes in recent years.
Li, dismissed after just seven months in office, was later expelled from the Communist Party for suspected bribery, according to state media. His successor, Dong Jun, has also reportedly come under investigation.
Supporters of Xi’s campaign say it strengthens party discipline and curbs official excesses. Critics argue it also serves as a political tool to consolidate power and eliminate rivals.