The former Chinese sports minister Gou Zhongwen, has been sentenced to death with a two-year suspension for accepting bribes and misusing his authority, as announced by a Jiangsu court.
The Yancheng Intermediate People’s Court determined that Gou received over 236 million yuan (approximately $33.4 million) in bribes from 2009 to 2024, leveraging his official roles to benefit certain individuals and departments in business transactions and project approvals.
Additionally, he has been permanently stripped of his political rights and had all his personal assets seized.
In a separate ruling, Gou was also sentenced to five years in prison for abusing his power while serving as Beijing’s vice-mayor from 2012 to 2013, during which he mismanaged a project acquisition that resulted in significant losses to public assets.
The court combined both sentences and mandated that all illicit profits be returned to the state treasury.
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The court highlighted the “extremely large” amounts of bribery, the “serious” nature of the offenses, the negative social repercussions, and the considerable damage to state interests. While some leniency was considered due to his confession, cooperation, return of funds, and revelation of additional undisclosed crimes, he will not be eligible for parole or any reduction of his sentence, meaning he will serve life in prison if his sentence is commuted.
Gou, 68, joined the Communist Party in 1976, became vice-mayor of Beijing in 2008, and led the General Administration of Sport from 2016 to 2022.
He also chaired the Chinese Olympic Committee and was involved in organizing the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
He was placed under investigation in May 2024, expelled from the Party, removed from his position, and formally charged. His public trial took place on August 20.
