Former defence exec Tan Ruisong given death sentence for ‘exceptional’ corruption

Tan Ruisong, the former boss of China’s top military aviation company, has been given a suspended death sentence for reaping over 613 million yuan (US$89 million) from bribes and insider trading.Tan, 64, was the chairman and Communist Party secretary of state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) – China’s leading military aircraft maker – from 2018 until his retirement in March 2023.He is one of the most prominent defence sector executives to come under investigation in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, which has cut a swathe through the top ranks of the military-industrial complex.The Dalian Intermediate People’s Court handed down the sentence with a two-year reprieve on Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday, adding that all of Tan’s personal property had been confiscated.Tan pleaded guilty to various crimes, including taking bribes, embezzlement, insider trading and leaking confidential information from 1998 to 2024, when he served in a range of top jobs in AVIC and its Harbin subsidiary.According to the report, he took about 90 million yuan in public funds from 2003 to 2010, while he was AVIC’s assistant general manager.He also helped other parties pursue corporate mergers and acquisitions as well as project contracts.