Four Sentenced in 233 Million Yuan Bid-Rigging Case at Henan Hospital Branch

The bid-rigging case involving the design and construction general contracting project of a hospital branch in Henan has reached a final ruling. The project value exceeded RMB 233 million. On May 28, 2026, the Puyang Intermediate People's Court in Henan Province issued a final adjudication, finding four defendants guilty of the crime of rigging bids. The court sentenced Wang A and Wang B to one year in prison each, with fines of RMB 30,000 each; Chen was sentenced to eight months in prison and fined RMB 20,000; Li was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for one year, and fined RMB 20,000. Chen's illegally obtained gains of RMB 3,000 were confiscated.

The case originated in 2021, when Wang B met the hospital's party secretary through donating medical supplies and bribed him RMB 300,000 in three installments. The hospital leader used his position to arrange for Wang B to contact the infrastructure section chief and the bidding office director. Wang B's son-in-law, Li, participated as a representative of the intended winning bidder. Wang A, the head of the bidding agency, assisted in preparing bidding documents and modifying the bid submissions. During the evaluation stage, Chen was appointed as an evaluation expert and was told the intended company before the bid opening, and used hints and other means to help that company win the bid.

In January 2026, the Supreme People's Court convened a national meeting of presidents of higher courts, at which data showed that bid-rigging crimes had increased by 50% year-on-year in 2025. In June 2026, the Supreme People's Court issued the second judicial interpretation on the application of law in construction contract disputes; in July, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued a notice with more specific provisions on preventing bid rigging and ensuring fair bidding.