A Chinese court on Monday (Feb 2, 2026) sentenced former Justice Minister Tang Yijun to life in prison for taking bribes, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The Xiamen Intermediate People’s Court in the southeastern coastal Fujian province said Tang illegally received assets worth more than 137 million yuan ($19.71 million) between 2006 and 2022 and abused his position to obtain benefits for companies and individuals.
“Tang’s actions constituted the crime of bribery,” the court said in its ruling, adding that the amount involved was “particularly large” and caused “particularly serious loss” to the interests of the state and the people. CCTV said Tang was deprived of his political rights to life and had all his personal property confiscated.
The punishment comes as President Xi Jinping continues an anti-corruption campaign that has netted a string of high-ranking officials in recent weeks. The country’s anti-graft watchdog said over the weekend it had launched an investigation into Emergency Management Minister Wang Xiangxi – a rare case of a sitting minister being investigated.
Last month, China made its statement Top General Zhang Yuxia is being investigated, In the highest-profile purge to date of senior military leadership.
Tang, 64, began his career in eastern Zhejiang province, where he spent three decades and rose to become the province’s deputy Communist Party chief. He later served as Governor of Liaoning Province before being appointed Minister of Justice in 2020.
Tang was investigated in April 2024 for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, a term commonly used to refer to corruption. He was expelled from the Communist Party later that year.
Published – February 02, 2026 05:04 pm IST
