A China court on Tuesday (May 28) delivered a rare death sentence to Bai Tianhui, a former senior banker.

Tianhui, as per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), was found guilty of accepting bribes worth over 1.1 billion yuan (US$151 million).&nbsp;

Bai, who was the general manager of China Huarong International Holdings (CHIH), has been sentenced by the Secondary Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin. The court found that Bai used his position to facilitate acquisitions and financing projects in exchange for bribes.

The court also permanently stripped Bai of his political rights and ordered the confiscation of all his personal property.&nbsp;

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Despite Bai providing information that led to other arrests and convictions, the court deemed the scale of his bribery and the social impact of his crimes to be too severe for a lighter sentence.

While China's State broadcaster CCTV reported the ruling, it did not disclose how Bai pleaded or whether he plans to appeal.&nbsp;

Legal experts, however, suggest Bai may appeal his sentence, citing precedent where similar offences received lesser sentences, such as the case of Zhang Zhongsheng. His death sentence for accepting 1.17 billion yuan in bribes was commuted to life imprisonment after an appeal.

<h2>China and death sentences</h2>

Death sentences in corruption cases are uncommon in China, especially ones that are not suspended. Bai is the second official from China's Huarong to receive such a sentence.

In January 2021, Lai Xiaomin, the former chairperson of China Huarong Asset Management (CHAM) and Bai's former boss was executed after being found guilty of taking 1.79 billion yuan (US$247 million) in bribes, embezzling public assets, and bigamy.

Four other senior executives from Huarong, including Wang Pinghua and Qin Ling, are awaiting trial on corruption charges.&nbsp;

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This ruling comes amid a broader crackdown on corruption in China’s finance sector, led by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The crackdown is in line with President Xi Jinping's goal of transforming China into a financial superpower and mitigating financial risks.&nbsp;

Since January, over 30 state regulators, bankers, and senior financial executives have been detained as part of these efforts.

Xi has emphasised the need for stringent measures to address the "prominent problems" of "repeated financial disorders and corruption, and weak financial supervision and governance capacity".

(With inputs from agencies)

A China court on Tuesday (May 28) delivered a rare death sentence to Bai Tianhui, a former senior banker. Tianhui, as per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), was found guilty of accepting bribes worth over 1.

A China court on Tuesday (May 28) delivered a rare death sentence to Bai Tianhui, a former senior banker. Tianhui, as per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), was found guilty of accepting bribes worth over 1.1 billion yuan (US$151 million). Bai, who was the general manager of China Huarong International Holdings (CHIH), has been sentenced by the Secondary Intermediate People's Court of Tianjin. The court found that Bai used his position to facilitate acquisitions and financing projects in exchange for bribes. The court also permanently stripped Bai of his political rights and ordered the confiscation of all his personal property. Also read | North Korea's 'low-class' move: Balloons filled with trash, poop sent to South Korea Despite Bai providing information that led to other arrests and convictions, the court deemed the scale of his bribery and the social impact of his crimes to be too severe for a lighter sentence. While China's State broadcaster CCTV reported the ruling, it did not disclose how Bai pleaded or whether he plans to appeal. Legal experts, however, suggest Bai may appeal his sentence, citing precedent where similar offences received lesser sentences, such as the case of Zhang Zhongsheng. His death sentence for accepting 1.17 billion yuan in bribes was commuted to life imprisonment after an appeal. China and death sentences Death sentences in corruption cases are uncommon in China, especially ones that are not suspended. Bai is the second official from China's Huarong to receive such a sentence. In January 2021, Lai Xiaomin, the former chairperson of China Huarong Asset Management (CHAM) and Bai's former boss was executed after being found guilty of taking 1.79 billion yuan (US$247 million) in bribes, embezzling public assets, and bigamy. Four other senior executives from Huarong, including Wang Pinghua and Qin Ling, are awaiting trial on corruption charges. Also read | WATCH | Water thrown on Georgian leader during fiery Parliamentary debate on foreign influence law This ruling comes amid a broader crackdown on corruption in China’s finance sector, led by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). The crackdown is in line with President Xi Jinping's goal of transforming China into a financial superpower and mitigating financial risks. Since January, over 30 state regulators, bankers, and senior financial executives have been detained as part of these efforts. Xi has emphasised the need for stringent measures to address the "prominent problems" of "repeated financial disorders and corruption, and weak financial supervision and governance capacity". (With inputs from agencies)

'Rare sentence': China court hands death sentence to banker for taking $151 million in bribes

Thousands of spectators filled a stadium in China to watch 10 convicts be sentenced to death for crimes ranging from drug-dealing to homicide before they were taken away to be executed at the weekend.&nbsp;An online video of the rare public trial, held in southern Guangdong province on Saturday, showed the handcuffed convicts&nbsp;paraded around a track by uniformed police officers as onlookers watched from the sidelines.

The convicts also stood on a podium as their sentences were read over loudspeakers, while officials sat on a stage flanked by military guards.&nbsp;Rights groups say China executes more people than any other country, but Beijing does not give figures on the death penalty, regarding the statistics as state secrets.

A public announcement last week from Lufeng City People&#39;s Court had invited citizens to sit in on the &quot;open-air stadium trial&quot;, as it was dubbed by the state-run Global Times.&nbsp;Beijing News, which circulated the trial video along with several other Chinese media outlets, criticised the court for making a spectacle of the sentences.

Ten of 12 suspects were handed the death penalty and taken away for immediate execution while curious locals, including many young people in school uniform, looked on.&nbsp;&quot;Places may hold public trials in order to intimidate criminals and raise society&#39;s sense of security, but they should not violate the basic humanity of the law&quot;, a Beijing News commentary said Monday.

The column noted that &quot;from a legal standpoint, the death penalty should not be enacted immediately after the final ruling... the local court deliberately put together this scene for dramatic effect&quot;. According to Global Times, an open-air trial for drug trafficking was also held in Lufeng in 2015, with 10,000 people in the audience.

The city is one of the country&#39;s largest producers of methamphetamine. 
&nbsp;

The 10 convicts were sentenced to death for crimes ranging from drug-dealing to homicide

Thousands of spectators filled a stadium in China to watch 10 convicts be sentenced to death for crimes ranging from drug-dealing to homicide before they were taken away to be executed at the weekend. An online video of the rare public trial, held in southern Guangdong province on Saturday, showed the handcuffed convicts paraded around a track by uniformed police officers as onlookers watched from the sidelines. The convicts also stood on a podium as their sentences were read over loudspeakers, while officials sat on a stage flanked by military guards. Rights groups say China executes more people than any other country, but Beijing does not give figures on the death penalty, regarding the statistics as state secrets. A public announcement last week from Lufeng City People's Court had invited citizens to sit in on the "open-air stadium trial", as it was dubbed by the state-run Global Times. Beijing News, which circulated the trial video along with several other Chinese media outlets, criticised the court for making a spectacle of the sentences. Ten of 12 suspects were handed the death penalty and taken away for immediate execution while curious locals, including many young people in school uniform, looked on. "Places may hold public trials in order to intimidate criminals and raise society's sense of security, but they should not violate the basic humanity of the law", a Beijing News commentary said Monday. The column noted that "from a legal standpoint, the death penalty should not be enacted immediately after the final ruling... the local court deliberately put together this scene for dramatic effect". According to Global Times, an open-air trial for drug trafficking was also held in Lufeng in 2015, with 10,000 people in the audience. The city is one of the country's largest producers of methamphetamine.

Chinese convicts executed after stadium trial

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'Rare sentence': China court hands death sentence to banker for taking $151 million in bribes

Chinese convicts executed after stadium trial