A Chinese court has sentenced former city official Yang Youlin to death after finding him guilty of accepting more than 2.2 billion yuan, about $325 million, in bribes over a 30-year period.   According to TheCable, Yang held several senior positions in Nanjing between 1993 and 2023, including executive deputy director of the Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone, director of the Jiangning District Construction Bureau, and general manager of the Jiangning Economic and Technological Development Group. The court convicted him of bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power, and money laundering. Judges found that Yang exploited his official positions to manipulate engineering contracts, business operations, land transfers and financial transactions in exchange for cash and property worth more than 2.214 billion yuan, making it one of China’s largest bribery cases. The court also ruled that between 2014 and 2016, Yang worked with others to embezzle 12 million yuan in government funds. He was further found guilty of paying more than 25 million yuan in bribes to other officials, diverting 15 million yuan in public funds for private business ventures, and causing 23 million yuan in direct economic losses through illegal land fee refunds and unauthorised property demolitions. In addition, prosecutors said Yang attempted to launder one million yuan in criminal proceeds through a company under his control in 2023. Although the court acknowledged that Yang provided information which helped uncover other crimes, qualifying as a form of meritorious service, it ruled that the scale of the offences, the serious harm caused, and the enormous financial losses made him ineligible for a reduced sentence. Yang pleaded guilty and expressed remorse during public hearings held in March and April. The court handed down a consolidated death sentence, stripped him of his political rights for life, and ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets.