China on Tuesday executed Li Jianping, a former official from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in what is considered the largest corruption case in the country’s history, involving over $421 million.
Li, 64, previously served as the secretary of the Communist Party’s working committee for the Hohhot Economic and Technological Development Zone. His death sentence was initially handed down in September 2022 and upheld on appeal in August 2024, Indian Express reported.
The execution, which took place in Inner Mongolia, followed the final approval of the Supreme People’s Court, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Li was found guilty of embezzling three billion yuan (approximately $421 million), marking the largest sum ever tied to a single corruption case in China.
Since coming to power in 2012, President Xi Jinping has prioritized an aggressive anti-corruption campaign as a core pillar of his governance. Official reports indicate that over a million party officials have faced punishment during the crackdown, including two former defense ministers and dozens of military personnel.
Despite these efforts, corruption among high-ranking officials persists. The South China Morning Post reported on Monday that China’s anti-corruption body, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), investigated 45 senior officials — referred to as “tigers” — last year, while the number has already risen to 54 in 2024.
The execution of Li Jianping underscores the Chinese government’s continued resolve to tackle corruption at the highest levels.
