Advertisement
Former Chinese lawmaker Yu Zhigang dies in detention while awaiting corruption verdict
- Authorities say Yu, who also served as vice-chancellor of China’s top legal university, suffered a brain haemorrhage and died in May
- He was investigated as part of Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign and pleaded guilty to taking nearly US$1 million in bribes
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
10
A prominent former Chinese lawmaker has died of a brain haemorrhage in a northeastern detention centre, Chinese authorities announced on Tuesday.
Advertisement
Yu Zhigang, 49, a former member of China’s top legislature and a former vice-chancellor of the China University of Political Science and Law, the country’s top legal university, died in May while awaiting a verdict on corruption charges against him, according to the announcement.
He pleaded guilty to taking 6.91 million yuan (US$976,000) in bribes in a trial last November, but his case was terminated after his death.
The decision to end the case was made by the Shenyang Intermediate Court in Liaoning province and announced on its official WeChat account on Tuesday.
Yu was among a long list of senior officials disgraced under President Xi Jinping’s signature anti-corruption campaign, but deaths of officials in detention have been rare because of frequent monitoring.
Advertisement
The Shenyang Central Court held a hearing on his bribery case in November 2021.
Advertisement