Former Chinese securities regulator Yi Huiman sentenced to death with two-year reprieve

Yi Huiman, former head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in a trial held in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, for accepting cash and real estate bribes valued at 436 million yuan (65.4 million dollars).

The court found that Yi abused his positions at the CSRC and in the administration of Xinjiang Uygur Region between 1998 and 2025. Yi's acceptance of guilt, disclosure of previously unknown crimes during investigation, demonstration of remorse, and partial repayment of bribes-derived assets were decisive factors in the reprieve. Under Chinese law, if no new crimes are committed during the two-year reprieve period, the sentence can be commuted to life imprisonment.

The 62-year-old Yi, who served as CSRC chairman from 2019 to 2024, was removed from office in 2024 following the decline of Class A shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange to their lowest level in five years. Yi became the second CSRC chairman to face corruption charges; his predecessor Liu Shiyu was also tried for bribery and favoritism.

As part of deepening financial sector investigations following the Communist Party of China's 20th National Congress in October 2022, multiple senior executives at the CSRC have been subject to action.