Former senior emergency management official sentenced to 13 years in prison for bribery

A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced Zhang Fusheng, former deputy head of the National Fire and Rescue Administration under the Ministry of Emergency Management, to 13 years in prison for accepting bribes.

Zhang was also fined 3 million yuan (US$425,000), and his illegal gains from bribery will be recovered and turned over to the state treasury, according to the verdict of the Intermediate People's Court of Fuzhou City, east China's Fujian Province.

The court found that between 1997 and 2022, Zhang exploited his various positions to assist individuals in matters related to project contracting, as well as job promotions and adjustment. In return, he accepted money and valuables worth a total of over 38.93 million yuan.

The court held that Zhang's actions had constituted the crime of bribery, and had involved an exceptionally large amount of money, warranting lawful punishment.