Former Chinese Agriculture Minister Tang Zhenjiang was sentenced to death for corruption with a two-year reprieve, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a court statement.
Tang was found guilty of accepting bribes in cash and in kind totaling more than 268 million yuan (32 million euros) between 2007 and 2024, according to a statement from the court in Changchun, Jilin province.
These bribes "caused particularly serious losses to the state and the people, and therefore the death penalty is justified", the court added, according to which the defendant confessed to "his crimes" and has repented.
The verdict is the latest in a sweeping anti-corruption campaign led by Chinese leader Xi Jinping that has seen several high-ranking Chinese officials removed from office.
Supporters of the campaign say it promotes clean governance, but critics say it gives the president the ability to eliminate political rivals.
Before becoming agriculture minister (2020-2024), Tang was governor of the northwestern province of Gansu and vice head of the southern Guangxi autonomous region.
His removal from office was followed by corruption investigations against former defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fanghe.
Li was removed from office just seven months after taking office and was later expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for crimes including suspicions of corruption, state media reported.
His successor in office – current Defense Minister Dong Jun – is also currently under investigation for corruption.