By Timothy S. Donahue

Top Takeaways:

• Prosecution moves forward: Chinese prosecutors have formally charged former STMA deputy director Han Zhanwu with bribery.
• Senior tobacco official: Han served as deputy head of the STMA from 2020 until he was placed under investigation in 2025.
• Corruption crackdown: The case is the latest in China’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign targeting senior officials linked to the country’s state-run tobacco monopoly.

China’s anti-corruption campaign has reached another former senior tobacco official.

The Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) announced Tuesday that former State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) Deputy Director Han Zhanwu has been formally indicted on bribery charges after an investigation by the National Commission of Supervision.

According to the SPP, the case was transferred to prosecutors after the supervision commission completed its investigation. After the Supreme People’s Procuratorate designated jurisdiction, the Jiangxi Provincial People’s Procuratorate approved Han’s arrest, and the Jiujiang People’s Procuratorate in Jiangxi province has now filed charges with the Jiujiang Intermediate People’s Court.

Prosecutors allege that Han used a series of senior government positions to seek benefits for others in exchange for “an especially large amount of money and valuables.”

The indictment alleges the conduct occurred while Han held several leadership roles, including Party secretary and director of the China Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Tendering Center; director of the Personnel and Education Department and head of the General Office at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; and later, deputy director of the STMA.

Han, 59, joined the STMA as deputy director in April 2020, after holding several senior positions at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. He previously worked at China’s National Development and Reform Commission before transferring to the ministry in 2008.

His downfall began in October 2025, when Chinese disciplinary authorities announced that he was under investigation for suspected serious violations of Party discipline and national law. In April 2026, authorities expelled him from the Communist Party of China and removed him from public office.

At the time, disciplinary authorities accused Han of accepting gifts and shopping cards in violation of Party rules, failing to truthfully report personal matters, accepting money in exchange for favors related to personnel appointments, and engaging in improper relationships involving exchanges of power and money.

Authorities also alleged that Han used his official positions to assist others with business operations and other matters in exchange for substantial financial benefits.

The prosecution marks another high-profile corruption case involving China’s tobacco monopoly system. The STMA, which oversees the world’s largest tobacco market through its parallel relationship with the China National Tobacco Corporation, has been the subject of multiple anti-corruption investigations into senior officials in recent years, as Beijing continues its broad campaign against official misconduct.

No trial date has been announced.