Former Gansu vice-governor sentenced to 14 years in major bribery case

Yang Zixing, former vice-governor of Gansu province, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined 5 million yuan ($700,000) for accepting bribes and abusing his influence for personal gain, according to a statement released on the official website of the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Friday. The verdict was delivered by the Intermediate People's Court of Weinan in Shaanxi province.

The court found that Yang accepted, or instructed his relatives to accept, more than 50.4 million yuan ($6.9 million) in bribes between 2006 and 2024 while holding senior posts in Gansu, including mayor and the Party secretary of Dingxi, and later vice-governor. After retiring, he continued to leverage his influence to help others secure contracts and investments, receiving a further 8.57 million yuan, according to the ruling.

Yang received a 13-year sentence and a 4-million-yuan fine for bribery, and a seven-year sentence and a one-million-yuan fine for using his influence to obtain bribes. He will serve a combined 14-year term, and all illicit gains have been confiscated and turned over to the state.

The court cited mitigating factors, noting that Yang confessed, returned illegal proceeds, and voluntarily disclosed offenses not previously known to authorities.

Yang's trial opened on Aug 7, 2025, and was attended by more than 30 representatives from the National People's Congress, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the media, and the public.