Former Sinopec Executive Gets 15 Years for Corruption

(Beijing) — Wang Tianpu, a former top executive with leading oil refiner Sinopec, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for corruption that netted him 33.5 million yuan ($4.9 million), making him the latest person caught up in President Xi Jinping’s 3-year-old campaign against graft.

A court in the central city of Nanchang, Jiangxi province, handed down the verdict Tuesday, wrapping up a case that began nearly two years ago.

Wang was originally detained in April 2015 on charges he used his executive status to help individuals and companies win business, jobs and other favors from 2003 to 2014. During that time he was variously a general manager of state-run Sinopec Group and vice president of its listed subsidiary, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp.

Dozens of high- and low-ranking government officials and executives from state-run companies have been caught up in the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which Xi has said is aimed at catching both “tigers” and “flies.”

Xi launched the campaign after warning that the type of corruption common in government and big state-owned enterprises over the past 30 years threatens the Communist Party’s survival.

Wang’s influence-peddling case was notable because of its connections to the son of Zhou Yongkang, a former government security minister and one of the highest figures to fall in the campaign so far. Prosecutors accused Wang of helping the son, Zhou Bin, sell equipment to Sinopec’s Shengli Oilfield.

In addition to receiving a 15-year prison sentence, Wang was fined 3 million yuan and had all illegal gains confiscated. The court called the sentence lenient, however, noting the ruling took into account Wang’s decision to cooperate with investigators, provide some evidence, confess his crimes and show remorse.

Born in 1962 in eastern China’s Shandong province, Wang started his petrochemical industry career shortly after graduating from college. He began working at Sinopec Group when the company was established in July 1998 under the name China Petrochemical Corp.

Wang was promoted to vice president of the listed subsidiary in 2001, and promoted again to general manager of Sinopec Group 10 years later.

But then his fortunes stalled. Wang was one of 48 people punished by the State Council, China's cabinet, in connection with an oil pipeline explosion that killed 62 people in November 2013 in the eastern city of Qingdao.

Contact writer: Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)