Yang Fasen, a former high-ranking official in Qinghai province, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for accepting bribes exceeding 147 million yuan ($20.7 million). The verdict was announced by the Hanzhong Intermediate People’s Court in Shaanxi province on Wednesday. In addition to the life sentence, Yang has been permanently stripped of his political rights, and all his personal assets have been confiscated. The court has also mandated that his illicit gains and related interests be transferred to the state treasury.
Between March 2005 and July 2024, Yang exploited his positions in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai to grant favors to individuals and businesses in exchange for bribes. The court emphasized that the scale of his corruption warranted severe punishment, describing the amount involved as ‘extremely large.’ However, the court noted that Yang’s voluntary surrender to anti-corruption authorities, his disclosure of previously unknown bribes, and the full restitution of his illicit gains were factors that led to some leniency in sentencing.
Yang, a 54-year-old native of Gansu province, began his career in 1990 and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Qinghai Provincial Committee in 2023. His downfall began in October 2024 when an investigation was launched, culminating in his expulsion from the Party and removal from public office in March. He was formally charged with bribery in June, and his case was publicly heard in September.