Xiong Xue, former deputy mayor of Chongqing, was sentenced to death with a reprieve in the first instance on Tuesday, for illegally accepting over 148 million yuan ($22.77 million) in bribery.

The Intermediate People's Court of Zhengzhou in Henan province pronounced the verdict that Xiong was sentenced to death for the crime of bribery, with a two-year reprieve, deprivation of political rights for life and confiscation of all personal property.

The proceeds of his crimes and interest shall be recovered according to law and turned over to the State treasury.

After trial and investigation, it was found that from 1999 to 2023, Xiong took advantage of his key positions in various major Chongqing government departments and abused his power and status to provide assistance in project contracting, land approval and other aspects to relevant units and individuals. He, directly or through others, illegally accepted money and property totaling more than 148 million yuan.

The court said that Xiong's actions constitute the crime of bribery involving a huge amount, the criminal circumstances are particularly serious, the social impact is particularly negative, and it has caused particularly significant losses to the interests of the State and the people. Therefore, the death sentence was warranted for his crimes. Considering that there was an attempted bribery in Xiong's criminal activities, he truthfully confessed his crimes after being apprehended, voluntarily disclosed part of the bribery facts that the investigating authorities did not know, admitted his guilt and showed repentance, actively returned the proceeds of the bribery, and recovered all illicit gains and interests. He also has multiple statutory and discretionary circumstances for a lighter punishment. In accordance with the law, he was sentenced to death with a reprieve, meaning the death penalty is imposed but not immediately carried out.