Chinese Embezzler Faked Illness to Dodge Prison Term
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A convicted Chinese embezzler served more than four years of his 16-year sentence from home after bribing prison guards and doctors to fake a terminal illness, in a case highlighted by China’s top prosecutor as an example of a nationwide crackdown on judicial corruption.
The case of the inmate, surnamed Hao, was detailed by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Sept. 26 as one of eight “typical cases” in a campaign to stamp out so-called “on-paper prisoners” — inmates who use connections and illicit payments to illegally obtain medical parole or sentence reductions.
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- A Chinese embezzler, Hao, bribed officials to fake illness and serve over four years of his 16-year prison sentence at home; nine conspirators received prison terms.
- The Supreme People’s Procuratorate featured his case in a campaign against “on-paper prisoners”—criminals using fraud and bribes for illegal parole or reductions.
- In 2023, over 130,000 sentence reduction or parole cases were reviewed; 1,400 parolees were returned to prison during a broader crackdown on judicial corruption.
- 2010：
- Hao was convicted of corruption, bribery, and embezzlement, sentenced to 16 years, and sent to Henan No. 1 Prison.
- September 2013：
- Henan provincial prison authorities began repeatedly granting Hao temporary medical parole.
- October 2017：
- Hao was ordered to be re-incarcerated after officials determined his condition had improved and he had violated parole regulations.
- 2020：
- Guo Wensi, a convicted murderer who had received nine sentence reductions, killed an elderly man after his release. Media also exposed Batumenghe's case.
- 2021：
- An inspection by provincial prosecutors led to the unraveling of Hao’s scheme. Work reports from the Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate specifically addressed the problem of 'on-paper sentences.'
- By the first half of 2025：
- Prosecutors reviewed more than 130,000 cases involving sentence reductions or parole and ordered more than 1,400 people on parole back to prison.
- September 26, 2025：
- The case of Hao was detailed by the Supreme People’s Procuratorate as part of the anti-corruption campaign.
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