A former provincial governor in China, accused of embezzling an amount equivalent to 19 million euros, has received a suspended death sentence, which is usually replaced by life imprisonment, a Chinese court announced, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
Sixty-two-year-old Jin Xiangjun, who governed Shanxi Province from late 2022 to 2025, is the latest Chinese politician to be affected by China's large-scale anti-corruption campaign, which began a decade ago at the initiative of President Xi Jinping.
Jin Xiangjun "benefited" from his official position, which he held for nearly two decades, to assist "legal and natural persons in managing enterprises, winning public contracts and career advancement", the court in the eastern city of Xinyang, which handed down the verdict at first instance, said.
Xiangjun also illegally acquired property and funds worth a total of more than 148 million yuan (19 million euros), the court also stressed.
Such a case of corruption can be punishable by death in China, AFP notes.
However, the former governor avoided it thanks to "mitigating circumstances", such as his confession, his cooperation in the investigation, his "remorse", as well as the partial restitution of the embezzled funds.
The former civil servant was sentenced to death with a suspended sentence of the sentence of two years – a sentence that is common in the Chinese judicial system and usually converts to life imprisonment after the established term has expired.
In China, politicians are reported almost daily to be removed from office on corruption charges.
Today, for example, former Minister of Crisis Management Wang Xiangxi was also removed from all his official positions and expelled from the Communist Party on charges of "serious violation of discipline and laws", Xinhua reported, using a common euphemism for corruption.