On June 27th, Dong Yunhu, former Party Secretary and Director of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), stood trial. Dong Yunhu was accused of abusing his position by engaging in illicit transactions to help a mistress obtain the qualifications to become a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Dong Yunhu faced charges of bribery, spanning from 2002 to 2023. During this period, he used his positions as Director of the Seventh Bureau of the Central External Propaganda Office, Member of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee and Minister of Propaganda Department, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Party Secretary and Director of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, to provide assistance in financing and loans, land transfers, business operations, and personnel arrangements, illegally accepting bribes totaling over 148 million yuan from related entities and individuals.
During the trial, Dong Yunhu pleaded guilty. The sentencing for this case will be determined at a later date.
The 61-year-old Dong Yunhu was placed under investigation on July 12, 2023, and was expelled from the Party (双开) on December 12th, followed by his arrest on December 29th.
In the announcement of his expulsion from the Party, Dong Yunhu was accused of various offenses, including engaging in illicit transactions to secure CPPCC membership, lack of loyalty and honesty, hindering investigations, engaging in corrupt practices, interfering in judicial activities, and participating in corrupt exchanges of power and money.
The accusation of “engaging in illicit transactions to secure CPPCC membership” aligns with the previous revelations from external sources. After Dong Yunhu’s downfall, there were reports that his mistress, Liu Yibing, a host on Shanghai TV’s Dongfang Satellite TV, was taken into custody. With Dong Yunhu’s assistance, Liu Yibing was appointed as a member of the Shanghai CPPCC. Public records indicate that Liu Yibing served as a member of the 13th and 14th Shanghai CPPCC.
Dong Yunhu was formerly the Deputy Director of the Information Office of the State Council and considered one of the earliest scholars within the CCP system to study and laud CCP “human rights.” He played a role in whitewashing the image of the CCP and was one of the drafters of the first CCP “Human Rights White Paper.”