China’s former agriculture minister Tang Renjian has been sentenced to death, suspended for two years, after admitting to taking $38 million in bribes.
China has sentenced former agriculture minister Tang Renjian to death for accepting bribes worth 268 million yuan ($38 million), the People’s Court of Changchun announced Sunday.
Judges ruled Tang’s actions “caused particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people and therefore warranted the death penalty.” The sentence was issued with a two-year reprieve, which may be commuted to life imprisonment depending on his conduct.
Tang, who admitted to the charges and expressed remorse, served in top roles including governor of Gansu province and vice chairman of Guangxi autonomous region before becoming agriculture minister in 2020.
His conviction is part of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-graft campaign, which has toppled senior military and government officials. Recently, defence ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were ousted for suspected corruption, while Li’s successor, Dong Jun, is also reported to be under investigation.
Supporters hail the crackdown as bolstering accountability, while critics argue it targets political rivals.