About 4,000 people are executed annually in the country, according to human rights organization Dui Hua. And a number of those executed are white collar criminals.
Those who have been executed or who are sitting on death row include small business owners, political figures, and CEOs of large companies. They have been handed death sentences after being found guilty of fraud, corruption, or illegal fund raising.
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Many protest the death sentence for such crimes because the definition of illegal fund raising, for example, is very close to private lending, a practice that is crucial for small and medium enterprises. And this has become increasingly controversial because of the role local party officials play in cases of illegal fund raising and fraud, according to Tea Leaf Nation.
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China's legal system is widely criticized because those with political clout are said to get off with lighter sentences.
What follows are some of the most notorious cases in which white collar criminals were given a death sentence and in some cases, executed. Some were given a two-year reprieve i.e. if they committed no more crimes for two years and were on their best behavior their sentence would be amended to life in prison.
Note: Figures on the death penalty are a state secret.The number of executions have declined since 2007 because of a reform that required death penalties to be reviewed by the Supreme People's Court (SPC). Lucas Kawa contributed to an earlier version of this report.
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Zeng Chengjie, executed
Crime: Illegal fund raising and fraud
Job title: Real estate developer in Hunan
In 2011, Zeng Chengjie was convicted of illegal fund raising 3.45 billion yuan, and defrauding 57,000 investors. Zeng's daughter said that local Chinese officials withdrew investments last minute causing panic among local investors.
Job title: Official in urban planning and land use department
Luo Yaping called the "Land Ma'am" was accused of embezzling 32.39 million yuan ($5.14 million) of public funds while she was working in Fushin city in the urban planning and land use department.
Crime: Offering kickbacks to project managers for bribes
Job title: Deputy Head of Songjuang District government
Chen was found guilty of taking bribes worth over 15 million yuan. The Shanghai No. 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to death with a two-year reprieve.
Crime: Grafting and embezzling public properties and funds
Job title: Former CEO of Qiankun Gold and Silver Refinery Co Ltd
Song Wendai was sentenced to death for illegally obtaining shares of the company and embezzling 87 million yuan ($13.87 million) in public funds and assets including gold and silver.
Lin Haiyan raised 640 million yuan (approx $100 million) from investors, mostly friends, co-workers, and family. But she failed to recover about $70 million. The Wenzhou court found that Lin told investors she was directing dunes into IPOs and bank deposits but was using them to speculate on futures and stocks.
Crime: Selling over three million pounds combined in contaminated milk from 2007-2008
Jobtitle: Dairy producers
On January 22, 2009, Chinese courts sentenced these two men to death for sales of tainted milk which killed at least six children and caused ailments for over 300,000. Melamine, an industrial content, was added to the milk to give the illusion of higher protein content. The two businessmen were executed on November 22 of the same year.
Crime: Fraud and raising money outside the banking system
Job title: N/A
Wu Ying aka 'Rich Sister' was sentenced to death in December 2009 by the the Jinhua Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang for defrauding investors of about $60.2 million.
But netizens rallied in support for Wu saying her punishment was too harsh and that defendants with political connections got away with lenient sentence. The Supreme People's Court (SPC) overturned the death sentence in April this year giving her a two-year reprieve.
Du Yimin was convicted of illegally raising 700 million yuan ($103 million). She is said to have promised investors high returns but instead used them to buy apartments, cars and other luxury goods for herself.
She was sentenced to death by an intermediate court in March 2008, and was executed in August 2009.
Si Chaxian was found guilty of raising $24 million from 300 people and promising high returns. Si was executed in August 2009 on the same day as Du Yimin.
The SPC said that both had "seriously damaged the country's financial regulatory order and social stability."
30-year old Wang Caiping was sentenced to death by a court in Wenzhou in April 2012. Her brother Wang Guanglin who also used the money to speculate was last reported missing.
She was found guilty of cheating investors of 100.11 million yuan ($16 million). After promising to use the funds to invest in property she used it to trade futures and gold.
Crime: Accepting bribes in exchange for granting approval for hundreds of medicines
Job title: Head of Food and Drug Administration
Chinese authorities claim Zheng received $850,000 in bribes for which he approved 137 drugs, including an antibiotic believed to have killed ten people. He was sentenced to death on May 29, 2007.
Zheng’s deputy, Cao Wenzhuang, received a death sentence for his role in the crime, which was reduced to a two-year reprieve. Zheng was executed on July 10, 2007.
Crime: Fraudulently raising funds, loan fraud, and escape from detention
Job title: N/A
Wang Yang was sentenced to death by The Xinxiang City Intermediate People’s Court in 2003. He was accused of raising about 253 million yuan ($37 million) by promising high interest rates and then using the funds for his personal expenses.
Tang Chengqi and Zhang Xiaohua, death with a two-year reprieve
Crime: Accepting bribes in exchange for government contracts
Job titles: Party Secretary of Nanchang County and Hufang Town, respectively
These two men received over 60 million yuan from real estate developers looking to score government contracts. The Jiangxi Provincial Higher People's Court sentenced each man to death with a two-year reprieve.
Job title: Vice Chairman of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Song offered favors to 18 companies or individuals in exchange for over 12 million yuan. The Intermediate People’s Court sentenced him to death with a two-year reprieve on April 27, 2012.
Crime: Accepting bribes for government contracts and embezzlement of funds
Job title: Chief of the Beijing Local Taxation Bureau
The No.1 Intermediate People's Court sentenced Wang Jiping to death with a two-year reprieve. Wang accepted over 4 million yuan in bribes and embezzled another 10 million between 2002 and 2009.
Crime: Graft, embezzlement, accepting bribes, and illegal distribution of State assets
Job title: Chairman of the Wenzhou Cailanzi Group
Ying defrauded the government of 12 million yuan, which he gave to senior executives. He was also found guilty in a massive grant case of over 370 million yuan. The Wenzhou Intermediate People's Court sentenced Ying to death with a two-year reprieve on May 22, 2012.
Wu was the ringleader of a group that produced 195 million counterfeit yuan, of which he had already distributed 128 million. He was sentenced to death on June 14, 2012, and plans to appeal.
The Higher People's Court of China's Gansu Province upheld Wang’s death sentence with a two-year reprieve. The Intermediate People’s Court of Baiyin originally sentenced him on April 6, 2011 for accepting approximately $2.45 million (US) in bribes while serving as a party leader.
Job title: Head of the Mingzhen Management Committee
Zheng was found guilty of embezzling over 100 million yuan intended for relocation compensation and accepting bribes totaling over 20 million yuan in exchange for improperly granting land use rights. He was given a two-year stay of execution and stripped of his assets on July 26, 2012.
Job title: Owner of business reportedly making wine and medicines from ants
Wang Zhendong found guilty of defrauding investors of $416 million in an ant-breeding scheme was executed in October 2008 in China's Liaoning Province. He had reportedly promised investors returns of 60%. "Ants are used in some traditional Chinese medicinal remedies, which can fetch a high price. Wang sold the kits, which cost $25, for $1,300, the local news media reported earlier," wrote the New York Times.