On April 29th, Han Yong, former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was arrested. Han Yong is accused of “not daring to take on struggles, associating with political swindlers,” and more. He was involved in overseeing the case of the notorious Yunan criminal, Sun Xiaoguo.
According to the Chinese Communist Party authorities on the 29th, the investigation into the bribery case involving Han Yong, former Deputy Director of the Population, Resources, and Environment Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC, and former Party Secretary and Chairman of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, has concluded, resulting in his arrest on charges of bribery.
Earlier on the 22nd, Han Yong was expelled from the Party, had his benefits revoked, and his illegally obtained assets confiscated. He is accused of shying away from struggles, associating with political swindlers, engaging in political speculation, favoring relatives and friends for personal gain, selling official positions, improperly intervening in disciplinary and law enforcement activities, using public power for private gain, engaging in corrupt practices, and unlawfully accepting substantial bribes.
At nearly 68 years old, Han Yong, originally from Jilin Province, has served in Jilin, Xinjiang, and Shaanxi. From January 2016 to January 2022, during his tenure as Chairman and Party Secretary of the Shaanxi CPPCC, he also served as the leader of the central “Supervisory Group for Eradicating Evil and Eliminating Vice No.10” and the 20th supervisory group. In January 2022, he stepped down from his positions as Party Secretary and Chairman of the Shaanxi CPPCC, and in March of the same year, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Population, Resources, and Environment Committee of the 13th National CPPCC. Han Yong was placed under investigation in October 2023.
In 2019, the case of the Yunan criminal Sun Xiaoguo shook the nation. Under intense public pressure, the Chinese Communist Party sent a supervisory group. At that time, Han Yong, as the leader of the 20th supervisory group, was deployed to Yunnan Province.
According to Hong Kong media Ming Pao’s report at the time, the Sun Xiaoguo case exceeded territorial and hierarchical jurisdiction and was directly handled by high-level departments throughout. Insider sources mentioned that the “National Leading Group for the Special Campaign Against Gang Crime” was dissatisfied with Yunnan’s progress in investigating the Sun case.
Sun Xiaoguo, who had previously been sentenced to death, not only escaped execution but was released after just over a decade in prison, becoming the boss of multiple entertainment venues upon release. It was not until he committed another crime in 2019 that the case was brought back to light. Sun Xiaoguo was finally executed in February 2020. At that time, netizens commented fervently: “Those who protected Sun Xiaoguo should be executed too. Without their protection, so many people wouldn’t have been harmed” and “I hope the officials who covered up for him meet the same fate.”