Zhang Jianhua, Former deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense Photo: Xinhua

Former deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense Zhang Jianhua was sentenced to 10 years in prison in the first-instance trial for accepting bribes and taking bribes by leveraging his influence, according to the Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday.

The Intermediate People's Court of Dazhou in Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Wednesday publicly delivered the first-instance verdict in the bribery case against Zhang, sentencing him to eight years in prison and fined 3 million yuan ($444,000) for accepting bribes, and five years in prison and a fine of 800,000 yuan for accepting bribes by taking advantage of his former official influence. 

The court ruled to impose a 10-year prison term on Zhang and a total fine of 3.8 million yuan. The court also ordered the confiscation and recovery of all illicit gains and related proceeds, which will be turned over to the state treasury, Xinhua reported.

The court found that between 2008 and 2025, Zhang exploited his positions to seek benefits for others in matters including administrative approvals and equity investments. In return, he illegally accepted money and valuables worth more than 43.38 million yuan.

Between 2021 and 2025, after retirement, Zhang took advantage of the influence derived from his former positions. Through the actions of other state officials, he secured illegitimate benefits for relevant parties in matters including business operation and project contracting, and illegally accepted property worth a total of 11.7 million yuan, according to Xinhua.

The court held that Zhang's conduct constituted the crimes of accepting bribes and taking bribes by leveraging of his influence, with the amounts involved in both offenses deemed "especially large" under Chinese law. It said Zhang was entitled to a reduced sentence because some of the offenses involved attempted rather than completed crimes, he voluntarily surrendered and truthfully confessed, disclosed additional bribery-related facts previously unknown to investigators, admitted guilt, showed remorse, actively returned illicit gains, and all illegal proceeds had been recovered.

The trial was held publicly on April 16. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence, Zhang and his defense counsel cross-examined the evidence and presented their arguments, and Zhang made a final statement in court in which he admitted guilt and expressed remorse, per Xinhua.

Global Times