A court in China has sentenced a former government official to death after convicting him of accepting bribes totaling 2.21 billion yuan (about $325 million), along with several other corruption-related offenses.

According to state media, Yang Youlin, former deputy head of an economic development zone in the eastern city of Nanjing, accepted bribes between 2013 and 2023 in exchange for providing favors in business operations, project contracts, and other matters.

The Intermediate People's Court in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, also found Yang guilty of embezzlement, abuse of power, and money laundering.

The court said the crimes were "extremely serious," caused substantial economic losses to the state, and warranted the death penalty.

Death sentences for economic crimes are relatively rare in China. However, President Xi Jinping's administration has significantly intensified its anti-corruption campaign in recent years, targeting senior officials and executives in the financial sector.

Since 2021, two former executives of China Huarong International Holdings, one of the country's largest state-owned distressed asset management companies, have also been executed following convictions on corruption-related charges.

Speaking last week during events marking the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, Xi reaffirmed his commitment to the anti-corruption campaign, pledging to eliminate what he described as all "viruses" that threaten the Party's integrity and long-term stability. (ILKHA)