A Chinese court on Sunday handed Tang Renjian, the country’s former minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve after finding him guilty of taking large bribes over a number of years, state media and international outlets reported.
The Changchun Intermediate People’s Court in Jilin province found Tang had accepted cash and property worth more than 268 million yuan (about $37.6 million) while serving in various posts between 2007 and 2024, according to state news agency Xinhua as reported by Reuters.
State and regional outlets said the sentence is a suspended death penalty — commonly described as a death sentence with a two-year reprieve — which can be commuted to life imprisonment depending on behavior during the reprieve period. The court also ordered confiscation of Tang’s illicit gains and deprived him of political rights for life, the reports said.
Tang, who was removed from office and placed under investigation in 2024, was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party before trial, Xinhua reported. The case forms part of a wider anti-corruption campaign that has seen several high-level officials investigated and punished in recent years.
International news agencies and regional press carried court statements and state agency dispatches; coverage emphasized both the size of the alleged graft and the continued reach of China’s anti-graft drive, which frequently results in harsh sentences for senior officials. Some outlets noted the suspended death penalty remains rare but has been used in several prominent graft cases in recent years.
China’s judiciary and state media have provided the main public record of the case; independent detail beyond the official filings remains limited. International reactions were cautious, with analysts noting the sentence fits the pattern of tough punishments in Beijing’s high-profile corruption prosecutions.
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