The former deputy general manager of the Chinese state-owned enterprise, the State Energy Investment Group Limited Liability Company, Li Dong, has been sentenced to life in prison for corruption after the first trial concluded nearly 3 months ago. On Tuesday (16th), the first-instance court announced that Li Dong was sentenced to life imprisonment, after being charged with accepting over 108 million yuan in bribes.
July 16th, the Intermediate People’s Court of Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, publicly pronounced the verdict of the corruption case of Li Dong, former member of the Party committee and deputy general manager of the State Energy Investment Group. Li Dong was convicted of bribery and sentenced to life imprisonment, with all of his personal assets confiscated.
The court stated that from 1999 to 2023, Li Dong, taking advantage of his positions as the manager of Shenhua Junggar Coal Company, chairman of Junggar Energy Company, deputy chief engineer and deputy general manager of Shenhua Group, deputy general manager of the State Energy Group, directly or through others, illegally received money and property from related units and individuals, totaling over 108 million yuan, some of which he did not actually obtain.
Part of Li Dong’s bribery crimes were unsuccessful, and after surrendering himself truthfully upon arrest and all the proceeds of crime were recovered, he was given a lighter sentence and thus received the life imprisonment verdict.
On April 19th, the Yichun Intermediate Court publicly held a trial of Li Dong’s bribery case. Li Dong pleaded guilty in court, and the court scheduled the pronouncement of the verdict.
Li Dong, born in 1960, worked in the coal industry for more than 30 years before retiring in 2020. In February 2023, the Chinese authorities announced his investigation and in August of the same year, his expulsion from the Party was reported.
Earlier this year, a TV documentary broadcasted by the Chinese official media revealed that Li Dong was a typical “coal eater”. Even when he was under investigation and central disciplinary inspection and supervision commission officials were searching his residence, some people still “came to give gifts”.
The State Energy Investment Group is one of the five major power generation groups in China, with eight industrial sectors including coal, thermal power, new energy, hydropower, transportation, chemical industry, science and technology environmental protection, and finance. In 2022, it ranked 85th in the Fortune Global 500 list.
The Chinese State Energy Administration has long been controlled by the Jiang faction of the Chinese Communist Party, and corruption cases within the energy system have been frequent in recent years. Former energy bureau director Liu Tienan and Nuer Baikeli, both sentenced to life in prison, have been identified as members of the Jiang faction.