The Justice of China has sentenced Wang Huimin, a former high-ranking government official in charge of the fight against corruption in the Securities Regulatory Commission, to death on Tuesday, after finding him guilty of receiving bribes exceeding 436 million yuan (about 58.6 million euros).
A court in Sichuan province, in the interior of the country, has determined Wang's guilt on all charges against him and has decreed the death penalty, in addition to ordering the confiscation of all his personal assets, according to information from the state newspaper "China Daily".
The former high official has also been permanently disqualified from holding any position in public administration due to the acquisition of "illicit gains," funds that must be returned to the state according to the court ruling.
However, the execution of the sentence is currently suspended, which opens the door for it to be transformed into life imprisonment, as usually happens in most of these proceedings if the convicted person does not commit new crimes for a minimum period of two years. Furthermore, Chinese legislation provides that sentences can continue to be reduced if the inmate maintains exemplary behavior in prison.
In this specific case, the court has emphasized that "a commutation of the sentence or a pardon is not contemplated," so Wang could obtain life imprisonment, but it is unlikely that the sanction will be reduced beyond that extreme. The court maintains that the criminal acts occurred between 1998 and 2005 and that the accused used his position to enrich himself illegally.
The judges have considered the imposed sentence to be proportionate due to the magnitude of the case and the "large amounts" received in bribes, which would have caused "serious losses to the country and to the Chinese population," although they have highlighted that Wang acknowledged the crimes and voluntarily provided details during the investigation phase.