Duan Chenggang, former Vice Chairman of the Chongqing CPPCC, was sentenced to life imprisonment in the first instance

The firstinstance verdict has been announced in the bribery case involving Duan Chenggang, former member of the Party Leadership Group and former Vice Chairman of the Chongqing Municipal CPPCC. On July 28, the Intermediate People’s Court of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, publicly sentenced him to life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property. The illicit assets involved in the case and any resulting gains shall be recovered and turned over to the state treasury in accordance with the law. The court found that from 2003 to 2025, Duan Chenggang took advantage of the convenience of his positions in various parts of Chongqing and related new districts to provide assistance in matters such as business operations, project advancement, and construction contracting, and accepted property worth more than RMB 144 million in total. The court held that his conduct constituted the crime of bribery, with an especially enormous amount involved and causing especially severe losses. At the same time, taking into account that he had attempted the offense, truthfully confessed after being brought into custody, pleaded guilty and expressed remorse, and actively returned the illicit gains, he was given a lighter punishment in accordance with the law. The case went to trial in April this year, and Duan Chenggang stated in court that he pleaded guilty and expressed remorse.