CHINA: FORMER POLITICAL ADVISOR GIVEN DEATH SENTENCE WITH REPRIEVE

Sun Yuanliang, a former senior political advisor of northeast China's Liaoning Province, was sentenced to death, with a two-year reprieve, for bribery on May 9, 2024.
The Intermediate People's Court of Chengde in north China's Hebei Province found that Sun, formerly vice chairman of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, abused his power in various positions he held between 1997 and 2022 to assist individuals and organizations on matters related to the requisition of land, bank loans and personnel promotion.
In return, Sun extorted and accepted money and valuables worth 159 million yuan (about 22.39 million U.S. dollars).
The court also found that between 2018 and 2022, Sun had used his influence to seek undue benefits for others in business operations and civil litigation, and took money and gifts worth 28.16 million yuan in return.
Sun will be deprived of his political rights for life, and all his personal assets will be confiscated, the court ruled.