In a landmark anti-corruption case, China’s former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tang Renjian, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for accepting bribes totaling more than 268 million yuan (approximately $37.6-38 million).
The verdict was delivered on Sunday by the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court in Jilin province. The court found that Tang exploited multiple positions from 2007 to 2024—both at central and local government levels—to secure business
favors, assist in project contracts, and push forward promotions for associates, all in exchange for bribes in cash, real estate, and other assets.
According to the state media account, the offenses were judged to have inflicted “particularly severe losses to the interests of the state and the people,” justifying the harsh penalty.
However, the death sentence is suspended for two years (i.e. a “death with reprieve”), which is a mechanism in China that often allows for the sentence to be commuted to life imprisonment if the convict demonstrates good behavior during the reprieve period.
Besides the sentence, Tang has been stripped permanently of his political rights, had all his personal property confiscated, and the illegally obtained assets will be turned over to the state.
Tang’s downfall came after a rapid anti-graft investigation. He was placed under scrutiny in mid-2024, expelled from the Chinese Communist Party later that year, and formally removed from office.
Observers see Tang’s case as part of President Xi Jinping’s broader anti-corruption campaign that has targeted many high-level officials across military, political, and security sectors.
As the sentence enters effect, questions remain about whether Tang will indeed be granted leniency to reduce the sentence, and whether the verdict might serve as a warning to other officials about Beijing’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption.
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