Former Shaolin abbot sentenced to 24 years for embezzlement

A former abbot of China's world-renowned Shaolin Temple has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for a series of financial crimes. Shi Yongxin, who was also fined 3.5 million yuan (approximately $516,000), was convicted of embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and bribery by the Intermediate People's Court of Xinxiang City in central Henan province.

The court found that Shi, whose birth name is Liu Yingcheng, used his positions as the temple's abbot and as president of the Shaolin Charity and Welfare Foundation to commit the crimes over many years. According to the verdict, he embezzled more than 131 million yuan between 2003 and 2025. He was also found to have appropriated 151 million yuan for his own use between 2012 and 2022 and to have accepted bribes totalling 11.63 million yuan since 2006 in exchange for granting favors and awarding temple-related construction projects.

Furthermore, the court stated that Shi gave more than 5.67 million yuan in bribes to officials between 1995 and 2022 to obtain improper benefits. The court described the amounts involved as exceptionally large and said the circumstances of his bribery were particularly serious, noting the crimes lasted a...