Caixin Explains: The Extreme Graft Cases Dealt a Death Sentence Without Reprieve

On Tuesday, a former general manager of China Huarong International Holdings Ltd., Bai Tianhui, was found guilty of accepting 1.1 billion yuan ($152 million) in bribes and sentenced to death [para. 1]. Bai Tianhui’s case is part of a broader crackdown by Chinese authorities on corruption, initiated after Xi Jinping became the head of the Communist Party of China in 2012 [para. 2]. This crackdown has seen a number of high-profile executions and has been marked by ongoing debates over the appropriate punishment for corrupt officials [para. 3]. Some legal scholars argue for the gradual abolition of the death penalty for such non-violent economic crimes, while others believe that the high levels of corruption justify its retention [para. 4].

The 2021 execution of Lai Xiaomin, another ex-Huarong executive guilty of taking nearly 1.8 billion yuan in bribes, underscores the severity with which China punishes corruption. An explanatory statement from a judge on Lai’s case highlighted that the death penalty fully reflects China's stringent attitude towards corruption and bribery [para. 5]. Typically, most death sentences for corrupt officials include a “two-year reprieve,” which often results in their sentences being commuted to life imprisonment [para. 6]. However, the severity of cases like Bai’s and Lai’s can lead to death sentences without reprieve [para. 7].

Bai Tianhui took advantage of his positions between 2014 and 2018, including as general manager of China Huarong International Holdings, to help others acquire projects and financing in exchange for bribes totaling 1.1 billion yuan [para. 8]. The court in Tianjin municipality, which handled Bai’s case, noted that the substantial value of the bribes and the serious nature of the crimes warranted the death sentence [para. 9]. Although Bai provided information leading to the exposure of other crimes — considered “meritorious service” — it was not enough to mitigate his punishment, given the extensive harm his actions caused to society [para. 10].

Another major case includes that of Li Jianping, the former head of a special economic zone in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, and ex-chief of the city's water management authority. Li accumulated 3 billion yuan through embezzlement and bribery, marking the largest individual haul from graft in China’s history [para. 11]. Besides corruption, Li used his ill-gotten gains for gambling, transferred money abroad, and allowed organized crime to flourish under his watch [para. 12]. He was sentenced to death in September 2022, but a new verdict is pending following his appeal [para. 13].

Lai Xiaomin, former chairman of China Huarong Asset Management Co. Ltd., accepted 1.79 billion yuan in bribes, embezzled 25.1 million yuan, and was convicted of bigamy [para. 14]. Despite his contributions in exposing subordinate crimes, Lai’s appeal was rejected, and his death sentence was upheld and executed on January 29, 2021 [para. 15].

In another significant case, Zhang Zhongsheng, former deputy mayor of Lüliang in Shanxi province, was convicted of taking 1.04 billion yuan in bribes and initially sentenced to death in 2018 [para. 16]. However, Zhang’s sentence was later mitigated to a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve after he reported a major bribery crime involving a provincial leader [para. 17].

Zhao Liping, former vice chairman of Inner Mongolia’s top provincial political consultative body, was found guilty of murder, corruption, and illegal possession of firearms in 2016 [para. 18]. His appeal was rejected, and Zhao was executed in May 2017 [para. 19].