On the 5th, the Chongqing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court delivered a first-instance verdict in the bribery case of Qizhala, former chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Government. Qizhala illegally accepted property worth a total of more than 158 million RMB (about 94 million MYR) and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He confessed and expressed remorse in court.
After trial, it was found that: From 1999 to 2025, Qizhala took advantage of his positions as Party Secretary of Zhongdian County in Diqing Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Governor of Diqing Prefecture, Party Secretary of Diqing Prefecture, Party Secretary of Lhasa City in Tibet, Chairman of the Autonomous Region Government, Deputy Director of the 13th National People's Congress Ethnic Affairs Committee, and Deputy Director of the 14th CPPCC Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, to provide assistance to relevant organizations and individuals in matters such as real estate development, project contracting, administrative approvals, and job promotions, and illegally accepted property.
The court held that the amount of bribes received by Qizhala was extraordinarily huge and should be severely punished according to law. However, since some of the bribery acts were not completed, he voluntarily confessed most of the bribery facts that were not yet known to the authorities after being brought in; he also exposed major criminal acts committed by others, and rendered significant meritorious service; he confessed, repented, and actively returned illicit gains—most of the illegal money, goods, and related income have been recovered—so he was given a lighter sentence according to law.
The 67-year-old Qizhala, an ethnic Tibetan, stepped down as chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region Government in October 2021 and transferred to the National People’s Congress, thus moving to a secondary position; in 2023 he was transferred to the CPPCC. In January 2025, Qizhala was placed under investigation for serious violations of discipline and law, becoming the first ethnic Tibetan provincial-ministerial level official to fall from power after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.