In recent years, corrupt officials in the Chinese Communist Party have been frequently exposed for embezzlement in the millions. Li Pengxin, former deputy secretary of the Party Committee in Xinjiang, was found to have accepted bribes exceeding 822 million yuan (RMB). In the first trial, he was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. Li Pengxin was identified as a close associate of Zhao Leji, a current member of the Central Political Bureau of the CCP, who promoted him in Qinghai.
On April 22, the Intermediate People’s Court of Baoji City in Shaanxi Province publicly pronounced the first trial verdict. Li Pengxin, former deputy secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee, was sentenced to death for graft, with a two-year reprieve, and ordered to have all his personal assets confiscated. Upon completion of the two-year reprieve, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole or sentence reduction.
The court stated that from 1999 to 2023, Li Pengxin took advantage of his position and power to help relevant entities and individuals in matters such as mineral exploration, business operations, and cadre appointments. He directly or through others illegally accepted a total of over 822 million yuan from these entities and individuals.
Li Pengxin was placed under investigation in December 2023 and was subsequently expelled from the party and handed over to judicial authorities in June 2024.
At that time, official reports claimed that Li Pengxin had cultivated personal influence, engaged in activities known as the “seven have” (encouraging clique activities, forming gangs, making unwarranted criticisms of the central government), sold official positions, colluded with businesses, and engaged in new forms of corruption by illegally receiving substantial assets such as equity shares.
Li Pengxin was known to be a close associate of Zhao Leji, a current member of the CCP Political Bureau.
After his downfall, mainland entrepreneur and former member of the Qinghai Provincial Political Consultative Conference, Wang Ruiqin (Anna Wang), who is currently based in the United States, stated on social media that Li Pengxin and Luo Yulin, a former deputy ministerial-level official of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council who had been arrested previously, were both old associates of Zhao Leji in Qinghai. She mentioned that they had deep roots in the Qinghai official circles for over 30 years and were well-acquainted with each other.
Li Pengxin, born in December 1960 in Shenchixian, Shanxi Province, had previously held positions in Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He served as a Standing Committee Member of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, Secretary of the Haixi Prefecture Party Committee, and Standing Committee Member of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee and Minister of Organization. Li Pengxin had been working in Qinghai for over 30 years.