10 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China's first counterterror chief Liu Yuejin gets suspended death sentence for bribery
Liu Yuejin, a former senior police officer and China's first counterterrorism commissioner, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after being found guilty of taking
bribes worth more than 121 million yuan (US$16.83 million).
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Handing down the sentence on Monday, the Fuzhou Intermediate People's court in Fujian province ordered that all of Liu's personal properties be confiscated and his illegal gains turned over to the state.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, the court said that Liu used his various positions from 1992 to 2020 to help individuals and departments in their business operations in return for illegal payments.
'The amount of bribes was extremely large and the interest of the state and the people suffered an extremely serious loss,' the court said.
The lighter punishment was because Liu had admitted his guilt, shown repentance, and 'actively returned the money taken', it added.
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According to Chinese law, if a convicted person sentenced to death with a reprieve does not commit a crime during that period, their sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment. If the person makes 'significant contributions', such as preventing a crime or reporting major criminal activities inside and outside the prison during the reprieve period, the sentence will be reduced to 25 years.