A municipal court in Tianjin, northern China, has issued a conviction against Sun Zhigang, former secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China. Sun has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. Additionally, his political rights have been permanently revoked and all his personal assets are ordered to be confiscated, along with the recovery of illegal gains for the state treasury, according to the ruling.
The court determined that Sun Zhigang illegally accepted bribes worth over 813 million yuan (approximately 114 million dollars), either directly or through intermediaries, between 2002 and 2023. He used his power in various positions to favor companies and individuals in matters such as business operations, stock subscriptions, project contracts, and real estate development, receiving money and other benefits in return.
Although some of Sun's criminal activities did not fully materialize, the court noted that he cooperated with the investigation and returned the majority of the illicit gains, which influenced the final sentence. After the two-year reprieve, the death penalty will be commuted to life imprisonment, and no further commutations or parole will be considered, as established by law.