China executed Li Jianping, a former official in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on Tuesday, December 17, following his conviction in what is considered the largest-ever corruption case in the country, involving more than $421 million in embezzled funds.
According to the Indian Express, Li’s death sentence was initially issued in September 2022 and upheld on appeal in August 2024. The execution, which followed the approval of the Supreme People’s Court, took place in Inner Mongolia, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Li, aged 64, served as the former secretary of the ruling Communist Party’s working committee for the Hohhot Economic and Technological Development Zone. He was found guilty of embezzling 3 billion yuan (over $421 million), making it the largest single corruption case in China’s history.
Since taking power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has made the anti-corruption campaign a key pillar of his administration. Official reports indicate that over a million party officials, including two defense ministers and numerous military personnel, have faced punishment under the crackdown.
The execution of Li Jianping underscores the Chinese government’s commitment to rooting out corruption and maintaining its stringent stance on accountability within the ruling Communist Party.
