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Ex-China minister gets death sentence with 2-year reprieve for accepting S$48 million in bribes
Tang Renjian, 63, had taken advantage of his roles to secure benefits for different people and departments.
September 29, 2025, 09:24 PM
A former agricultural and rural affairs minister in China was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Sep. 28 for receiving 268 million yuan (S$48 million) in bribes between 2007 and 2024.
According to China Daily, Tang Renjian, 63, had taken advantage of his roles to secure benefits for various individuals and departments in matters such as business operations and project contracting while he was in office.
The Changchun Intermediate People's Court in Changchun, Jilin Province, also ordered him to be deprived of his lifelong political rights and for all his personal assets to be confiscated, reported the Global Times.
Obtained more than 268 million yuan in cash or property
Tang, who was also the governor of Gansu Province, received more than 268 million yuan (S$48 million) in cash and assets in turn, either directly or via others.
The court ordered his illicit gains and related proceeds to be seized and handed over to the State treasury, and any shortfall to be pursued, reported Global Times.
Tang was also stripped of his political rights for life.
In China, a suspended death penalty is generally converted to life imprisonment if no new offences are committed within the two-year reprieve.
Good behaviour can lead to further sentence reductions.
Leniency given as Tang confessed and expressed remorse
In its sentencing, the court said that Tang should be convicted of bribery and sentenced to death because "the amount of his bribes was extremely large, causing huge losses to the country and the people."
According to China Daily, it added that leniency was shown because he confessed, voluntarily reported bribes unknown to investigators and agreed to hand over his illicit gains.
Tang, a Chongqing native, started his career in 1983 and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1991.
He had spent decades working in the agricultural sector and was later investigated in May 2024 for suspected serious violations of party discipline and national laws.
He was arrested in December 2024 on suspicion of bribery as part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown, according to Reuters.
On Nov. 15, 2024, Tang was expelled from the CPC and dismissed from public office.
Top photo by China Daily
