Former Deputy Head of China’s Defense Technology Agency Sentenced to 10 Years for Bribery

BEIJING: Zhang Jianhua, former deputy head of China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting bribes and abusing the influence of his former public office for personal gain.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Intermediate People’s Court of Dazhou in southwest China’s Sichuan Province handed down the first-instance verdict, sentencing Zhang to eight years in prison and a fine of 3 million yuan for accepting bribes, and five years in prison with an additional fine of 800,000 yuan for accepting bribes by leveraging the influence of his former official positions. The court combined the sentences, imposing a total prison term of 10 years and fines amounting to 3.8 million yuan.

The court also ordered the confiscation of all illicit gains and related proceeds, which will be turned over to the state treasury.

The court found that between 2008 and 2025, Zhang used his official positions to secure benefits for others in matters including administrative approvals and equity investments, illegally accepting money and valuables worth more than 43.38 million yuan in return.

According to Xinhua, after his retirement, Zhang continued to exploit the influence of his former positions between 2021 and 2025 to obtain improper benefits for others in business operations and project contracting, receiving property worth an additional 11.7 million yuan.

The court said Zhang received a reduced sentence after voluntarily surrendering, confessing to his crimes, cooperating with investigators, disclosing additional bribery-related facts, returning his illicit gains, and expressing remorse.