The $421 Million Fraud: Inside the Case Against Ex-Official Li Jianping
China has executed Li Jianping, a former official from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, following his conviction for embezzling over 3 billion yuan (approximately $421 million).
Li, aged 64, previously served as the secretary of the Communist Party working committee for the Hohhot Economic and Technological Development Zone. He was found guilty of corruption, bribery, misappropriation of public funds, and collusion with criminal syndicates.
His death sentence, initially issued in September 2022, was upheld on appeal in August 2024 and subsequently approved by China’s Supreme People’s Court.
This case is notable as one of the largest corruption scandals in China’s history. Li’s execution underscores President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted both high-ranking officials and lower-level cadres to enforce discipline within the Communist Party.
Since the campaign’s inception in 2012, numerous officials have faced prosecution or punishment for corruption-related offenses.