Jin Xiangjun, the former governor of Shanxi Province, was sentenced in the first instance of the bribery case: he was given a reprieve from death

On September 8, 2026, the Intermediate People's Court of Xinyang City, Henan Province publicly pronounced the first instance verdict on Jin Xiangjun, the former deputy secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and former governor of the provincial government, in the case of accepting bribes. The defendant Jin Xiangjun was sentenced to death for accepting bribes, with a two-year suspended sentence, deprived of political rights for life, and confiscated all personal property; the recovered property and interest obtained from bribery by Jin Xiangjun were turned over to the state treasury in accordance with the law, and the remaining part continued to be recovered.

The trial found that: from the first half of 2004 to April 2025, the defendant Jin Xiangjun took advantage of his positions as mayor and secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of Yulin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, secretary of the Fangchengang Municipal Party Committee, deputy mayor and deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of Tianjin, deputy secretary of the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee, and governor of Shanxi Province. To facilitate the formation of interests, powers, and status, provide assistance to relevant units and individuals in matters such as business operations, project contracting, job promotions, etc., and illegally accept property from the above-mentioned units and individuals directly or through others, totaling more than 148 million yuan.

The Xinyang Intermediate People's Court held that the defendant Jin Xiangjun's behavior constituted the crime of accepting bribes, the amount was extremely huge, and it caused extremely heavy losses to the interests of the country and the people. The crime should be sentenced to death. In view of the attempted bribery crime, he truthfully confessed the crime after being brought to justice, took the initiative to explain most of the bribery facts that the supervisory authority has not yet grasped, confessed and repented, and partially recovered the stolen money and property involved in the case. There are statutory and discretionary lenient punishment circumstances, and he was sentenced to death, but it may not be executed immediately. The court then made the above judgment.

It is reported that the Xinyang Intermediate People's Court held a public hearing on the case on June 11, 2026. During the trial, the procuratorate presented relevant evidence, and the defendant Jin Xiangjun and his defender conducted cross-examination. The prosecution and defense fully expressed their opinions under the auspices of the court. Jin Xiangjun made a final statement and expressed his guilt and repentance in court. More than 20 people including NPC deputies, CPPCC members and people from all walks of life attended the trial.