Former deputy head of China Tobacco sentenced to 12 years for bribery

Zhang Tianfeng, the former deputy head of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a court in Jiangxi province on Thursday for taking bribes exceeding 34 million yuan ($4.98 million). Zhang was also fined 2 million yuan, and his illicit gains and related interests were confiscated and ordered to be turned over to the state treasury, according to the ruling announced by the Ganzhou Intermediate People's Court in Jiangxi province.

After an investigation, the court found that from 2004 to 2023, Zhang took advantage of his positions to seek benefits for relevant departments and individuals in various matters such as project contracting, recruitment, job adjustments, and work promotions, accepting bribes worth more than 34.07 million yuan in return. The court stated that Zhang's behavior constituted the crime of bribery and should be harshly punished. However, leniency was granted due to his voluntary reporting of many bribes unknown to investigators, his confession to the crime, and his active return of the illicit gains.

The 62-year-old Zhang had worked for tobacco monopoly departments in Shaanxi province and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region for decades before joining the administration, also known as China Tobacco, in 2017. He served as the administration's deputy head from February 2020 to June 2023. In January 2025, he was placed under investigation. Six months later, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China. In November, he was indicted on the charge of bribery, and on Jan 8, the court publicly heard the case.