On May 16, Jibin Chang, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Qingdao Municipal Committee of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and former Vice Governor of Shandong Province, stood trial for allegedly accepting bribes totaling more than 526 million Chinese yuan (RMB) and seeking personal gain for his son in investment operations.
In the court proceedings on the 16th, it was reported by the official Chinese Communist Party media that Jibin Chang, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Qingdao Municipal Committee of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was being tried for corruption. Jibin Chang was accused of using his positions as Director of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Shandong Province, Vice Governor of Shandong Province, and member of the Qingdao Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference between 2003 and 2022 to illegally accept money and assets totaling more than 526 million Chinese yuan either directly or through others.
In court, Jibin Chang admitted guilt and expressed remorse. The verdict for the case will be announced at a later date.
Jibin Chang was removed from office on January 6, 2023, becoming the first centrally managed official to be investigated in 2023. Just three days before his removal, Jibin Chang was still attending an economic work conference of the Qingdao Municipal Committee.
On July 27 of the same year, Jibin Chang was officially expelled from the Party and on August 10, he was arrested.
According to the Party’s notification on his expulsion, Jibin Chang obstructed the investigation, abused his power for personal gain, and sought benefits for his son in investment operations. He engaged in corrupt transactions, took advantage of his position to benefit others in terms of equity investment and corporate financing, and illegally accepted huge amounts of money.