After falling from grace nearly a year ago, Sun Zhigang, former Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress Finance and Economic Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and former Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, stood trial for bribery, with charges totaling over 813 million yuan.
On August 14, the Tianjin Second Intermediate People’s Court held an open trial for Sun Zhigang’s bribery case.
The Tianjin Municipal Prosecutor’s Office accused Sun Zhigang of using his official position and the convenience and conditions formed by his power and status from the second half of 2002 to August 2023 to assist relevant units and individuals in advancing projects, subscribing shares, contracting projects, real estate development, and other matters. He was alleged to have directly or through others illegally accepted assets totaling over 813 million yuan.
Sun Zhigang confessed and expressed remorse in court. At the end of the trial, the court announced an adjournment and chose a date for sentencing.
On August 28, 2023, Sun Zhigang was officially removed from office, becoming the second ministerial-level official investigated that year, and the first top provincial party and government official to fall after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
In February of this year, Sun Zhigang was expelled from the Party and arrested. On May 22, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the CCP announced that the investigation into Sun Zhigang’s bribery case had concluded, and he had been indicted.
Sun Zhigang, 70, has held high positions in Hubei, Anhui, and Guizhou. After Sun was ousted, Hong Kong media reported that his wife’s uncle had been involved in projects in Anshun, Guizhou, allegedly acting as a protector for mining tycoons. Sun’s family members were taken away for investigation in April 2023, and Sun Zhigang himself fell from grace nearly four months later.
Sun Zhigang was born in May 1954. In April 1985, at the age of 30, he began his political career as Deputy Director of the Economic Commission of Wuhan City, Hubei Province, gradually advancing to become the Secretary of the Yichang Municipal Party Committee. In June 2002, Sun Zhigang became Secretary-General of the Hubei Provincial Committee, entering the ranks of high-ranking officials. In September 2006, he was reassigned to Anhui as a member of the Provincial Standing Committee and concurrently served as the Executive Vice Governor of Anhui.
In December 2010, Sun Zhigang was appointed Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, Deputy Director of the National Health Commission, among other positions. During this time, Sun also served as a ministerial-level director of the State Council’s office for medical reform.
In October 2015, Sun Zhigang was transferred to Guizhou and appointed Acting Governor, confirmed in January of the following year.
From July 2017 to November 2020, he served as Secretary of the Guizhou Provincial Party Committee, and from December 2020 to March 2023, he was Vice Chairman of the Finance and Economic Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress.
Commenting on the situation, columnist Wang Youqun of Dajiyuan pointed out that Guizhou Province is considered one of the poorest provinces in China, yet in recent years, at least seven corrupt officials have been exposed—two at ministerial level, three at deputy ministerial level, and two at the bureau level.
Apart from Sun Zhigang, the other six individuals are as follows:
– On August 13, 2024, Li Zaiyong, former Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was sentenced to death with a reprieve for bribery and abuse of power, with a bribe amount of 432 million yuan.
– On March 26, 2024, Zhou Jiankun, former Vice Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery, with a bribe amount of 108 million yuan.
– On February 2, 2024, Gao Weidong, former Director of the Guizhou Coal Geological Bureau, was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery, with a bribe amount of 110 million yuan.
– On January 17, 2022, Wang Fuyu, former Chairman of the Guizhou Provincial Political Consultative Conference, was sentenced to death with a reprieve for bribery, with a bribe amount of 450 million yuan.
– On September 23, 2021, Yuan Renguo, former Chairman of Maotai Group, was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery, with a bribe amount of 112.9 million yuan.
– On April 23, 2019, Wang Xiaoguang, former Deputy Governor of Guizhou Province, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery, corruption, and insider trading, with a bribe amount of 210 million yuan.