Yan Jun, the former president of Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 2m yuan ($280,000) for accepting bribes of more than 36m yuan ($5m).
The court claimed that he prevented others from reporting and providing evidence, engaged in money and sex transactions, participated in gambling activities, and illegally accepted property from others.
According to the court, Yan used his positions as deputy president, vice president, deputy secretary of the party committee, and SIPG president to seek benefits for relevant individuals in matters such as route operations, company listing, and expense settlement, and illegally accepted property given by others, totalling more than $5m.
The Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court did say that Yan “truthfully confessed his crimes” and revealed yet unknown facts regarding the bribes.
The court also noted that he pleaded guilty, returned the stolen money and other property obtained from the bribes. These mitigating circumstances were taken into account upon sentencing.
Shanghai’s anti-corruption watchdog started the investigation into Yan in August 2023. He stepped down as the president of SIPG in July 2023 after nine years in charge.
Yan is not the first SIPG man to end up behind bars. The former head of SIPG and China’s ex-footballing supremo, Chen Xuyuan, was handed a life sentence for taking bribes worth $11m in 2024.
In a broader context, Yan’s sentencing continues a wave of anti-corruption measures targeting China’s state-owned enterprises, including many shipbuilders.
