New Delhi: The mayor of Haikou, China, who reportedly accumulated about $4.5 billion during his career and was found with 13.5 tons of gold and 23 tons of cash in his apartments, has been sentenced to death.
Who was Luo Zengbin?
Luo Zengbin was former Party chief of Haikou, the capital city of South China’s Hainan province. The 59-year-old native of Sichuan started his career in July 1990 and joined the Communist Party of China in June 1993. He had prior in his career also reportedly served various positions in his home province, including mayor of Guang’an and Party chief in Mianyang, according to ChinaDaily.
In January 2022, he became a member of the standing committee of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC municipal committee of Haikou.
The crime and punishment
The court found Luo took advantage of his positions in Sichuan and Hainan provinces to seek benefits in cases such as business operation, contract acquisition, project advancement and fund allocation. Doing this, he accepted bribes of more than 317 million yuan ($46.22 million) in return.
According to the ruling announced by the Chenzhou Intermediate People’s Court, Luo was also deprived of his political rights for life, while all his personal assets were seized. His illicit gains, along with any related interests, will be confiscated and turned over to the State treasury.
The court further determined that Luo’s behavior constituted the crime of bribery and that he should be sentenced to death because of the “extremely large” amounts involved and the consequent “extremely huge” losses to the country and the people.
Luo was placed under investigation in December 2024 and, in May 2025, he was expelled from the Party and removed from public office. Five months later, he was indicted on the charge of bribery.