Several high-ranking Chinese officials, as well as a former CEO of Shanghai Industrial Group, have been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for corruption charges in the span of about six weeks from August 11 to September 22, 2026.
On September 22, 2026, the Intermediate People’s Court of Guiyang City in Guizhou Province publicly announced the verdict of the bribery case involving Song Chaohua, a former member of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Sichuan Province. Song was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, deprived of political rights for life, and had all personal property confiscated.
According to the report, from 1993 to 2025, Song Chaohua, using his various positions in Sichuan Province, provided assistance to relevant entities and individuals in enterprise operations and project contracting in exchange for over 148 million yuan in illegal gains.
Song Chaohua, born in May 1962 in Qionglai, Chengdu, Sichuan, served in various roles within the province, including as Secretary of the Chenghua District Committee in Chengdu, Deputy Secretary and Deputy Mayor of Meishan City, and Deputy Secretary of the Meishan Municipal Committee. He was also promoted to various positions, including Mayor of Meishan City and Secretary of the Nan Chong Municipal Committee.
In a public trial on June 26, 2026, Song Chaohua pleaded guilty and expressed remorse for his actions.
Interestingly, Song Chaohua is the fourth high-ranking Communist Party official to be sentenced to death with a reprieve in the past month and a half.
On September 8, 2026, Jin Xiangjun, former Deputy Secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Committee and Governor of the province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery charges. Jin was implicated in a corruption case involving over 148 million yuan after being investigated in April 2025.
Similarly, on August 28, 2026, former Hubei Provincial Committee Secretary and National People’s Congress Standing Committee Jiang Chaoliang was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery charges, with all personal property confiscated. After the two-year reprieve period, his sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of reduction or parole. Jiang Chaoliang was accused of involvement in corruption amounting to over 746 million yuan and cooperated with authorities by providing information on other individuals to receive a more lenient punishment.
Moreover, on August 11, 2026, Long Xiang, former Director of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery charges. Long Xiang was investigated in April 2025 and accused of taking bribes totaling over 260 million yuan.
Furthermore, on September 11, 2026, Zhou Jun, the former CEO of Shanghai Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd., and former Chairman of Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Group, was also sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. Zhou Jun was accused of embezzling over 154 million yuan and accepting bribes exceeding 21.51 million yuan, with a total amount involved exceeding 175 million yuan. Zhou Jun was investigated on November 20, 2023.