China Communist Party critic Ren Zhiqiang gets 18 years for corruption
- Outspoken real estate tycoon known as ‘Big Cannon Ren’ embezzled US$7.3 million, court finds
- Confession and plea for leniency taken into account when passing sentence, according to judgment summary

The court also found that, over the same period, Ren had “accepted bribes worth more than 1.25 million yuan; misappropriated 61.20 million yuan of public funds, and abused his power [as a state employee] causing 116.7 million yuan in heavy losses to state-owned companies” for a personal gain of more than 19.41 million yuan.
“[Ren] has voluntarily confessed his crimes, admitted to all the accusations against him as presented [in court], and voluntarily accepted the court’s judgment,” the court said, adding that his plea for leniency had been taken into account in sentencing.

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Communist Party investigating Ren Zhiqiang, outspoken critic of China’s coronavirus response
Ren grew up in a revolutionary family and was a member of the Communist Party but his outspoken criticism of the party’s leadership earned him the nickname “Ren the Big Cannon”. He was slammed by state media in 2016 for “pursuing Western constitutionalism”.