Former Vice President of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Xu Wenrong, known as the “Oil Tiger,” has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in the first instance for accepting bribes totaling over 53.29 million yuan.
On September 20th, the Shenyang Intermediate People’s Court in Liaoning Province publicly announced its verdict in the bribery case involving Xu Wenrong, former Vice President of China National Petroleum Corporation. Xu was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined 3.5 million yuan for the crime of accepting bribes.
According to the court, from 1998 to 2023, Xu Wenrong illegally accepted a total of over 53.29 million yuan in bribes using his position and authority for personal gain. Xu truthfully confessed to the crimes upon investigation, voluntarily disclosed previously unknown bribery facts to supervisory agencies, confessed and repented his crimes. All illicit gains and items have been confiscated, leading to a lighter punishment.
In June of last year, Xu Wenrong was officially removed from office; on January 6th of this year, he was expelled from the Communist Party and handed over to the procuratorial authorities for examination and prosecution, followed by his arrest two days later.
At the time of the announcement, it was reported that Xu Wenrong was fascinated by officialdom and driven by desires, actively engaging in political speculation to forge relationships with political opportunists in pursuit of career advancement.
The report also mentioned that Xu Wenrong used his position in the oil industry to engage in power-money transactions, gaining benefits for others in enterprise operations, project contracting, and job arrangements. His misconduct constituted serious breaches of duty and alleged bribery crimes.
Public records show that Xu Wenrong, born in June 1961, has been involved in the petroleum and natural gas industry for over thirty years. He served as Assistant General Manager of China Petroleum Corporation in 2004, then held positions such as Chief Inspector of China Shipping, and Vice President of the corporation starting in 2011.
In January 2016, Xu Wenrong became Vice President of CNPC, and in September 2020, he was appointed as a full-time external director of a central enterprise. He was dismissed from his position in February 2023 and subsequently investigated in June of the same year.