Former Director of China National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, Ling Chengxing, who was involved in bribery and abuse of power by state-owned company employees, stood trial for the first time, 15 months after his downfall. Ling Chengxing is the highest-ranking official in the Chinese Communist tobacco system to be ensnared in a corruption case and the first “top leader” to be investigated by the China National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, earning him the nickname “Tobacco Tiger.”
On January 16th, the Intermediate People’s Court of Changchun City, Jilin Province, publicly held the first trial of Ling Chengxing, former member of the Communist Party group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, former director of the China National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, and former general manager of China Tobacco Corporation, on charges of bribery and abuse of power by state-owned company employees.
The Changchun City Prosecutor’s Office accused Ling Chengxing of exploiting his positions as a member of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee, deputy governor, director of the China National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, and general manager of China Tobacco Corporation to seek benefits for relevant units and individuals in project contracting, corporate operations, and job adjustments. Between 2006 and 2023, he directly or through others received more than 41.1 million yuan in ill-gotten gains.
Since 2015, while serving as director of the China National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau and general manager of China Tobacco Corporation, Ling Chengxing facilitated and reviewed related investments and acquisitions, showing favoritism, abusing power, and causing significant losses to state-owned companies, resulting in especially serious damage to national interests.
The prosecution requested that Ling Chengxing be held criminally responsible for the crimes of bribery and abuse of power by state-owned company employees.
Ling Chengxing admitted guilt in court, and the sentencing will be announced at a later date.
Ling Chengxing was taken down from his post in October 2023, expelled from the Communist Party and stripped of his benefits in April 2024, and transferred to judicial authorities. He was arrested in May and formally charged in November.
Public records show that Ling Chengxing was born in October 1957 in Shanggao, Jiangxi Province. He began working in December 1980 and had a long career in Jiangxi, serving as mayor of Fengcheng City, deputy director of the Jiangxi Provincial Economic Commission, director (manager) of the Jiangxi Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Bureau (Company), and assistant to the provincial governor, among other positions.
At the end of December 2001, Ling Chengxing became a vice-ministerial official, serving as the deputy governor of Jiangxi Province, a member of the provincial government party group, and also held the post of director of the provincial state-owned assets supervision and administration commission. In December 2006, Ling Chengxing was appointed member of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee and executive deputy governor.
In 2013, Ling Chengxing was transferred to the Communist Party group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, serving as the party secretary and director of the China National Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, the “steward” of China Tobacco, until he stepped down in July 2018.