(TibetanReview.net, Jun06’26) – The days of impunity from consequences for corruption for at least some leaders in Tibet, whether Tibetan or Chinese, no longer remains under President Xi Jinping as former Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) government Chairman Che Zhala (also written as Qi Zhala and in other forms as well) gets life sentence from a court in Chongqing City on Jun 5. This was stated to be a lenient sentence.
The court sentenced the 67-year-old ethnic Tibetan to life in prison for accepting bribes totalling worth more than 158 million yuan ($23.35 million) over a 26-year period.
Qi was also deprived of political rights for life, with all his personal assets confiscated. Additionally, his illicit gains and related interests were ordered to be turned over to the State treasury, reported China’s official chinadaily.com.cn Jun 5, citing the ruling announced by the Chongqing No 1 Intermediate People’s Court.
The court has found that Che, from 1999 to 2025, used his work positions in the TAR and Yunnan province to seek benefits for individuals and departments in various matters, such as real estate development, project contracting, administrative approval and personnel promotion, and accepted bribes of more than 158 million yuan in return.
Qi’s behaviour constitutes the crime of bribery, and he should be severely punished due to the “particularly large” amount of the bribes he took and the “extremely huge” losses he caused to the country and the people, the court has further said.
However, given the fact that Che attempted but did not succeed in some instances of bribery, voluntarily disclosed most of the bribery facts that the investigators had not yet discovered, reported significant and truthful criminal activities of others, and actively returned the illicit gains, the court has added that it provided him with leniency in sentencing.
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Born in Zhongdian (Tibetan: Gyalthang) County, later renamed as Shangri-La, in Yunnan province, Che began his government career in Dec 1979 and joined the Communist Party of China in May 1982. He rose through the ranks to become the Governor of Dêqên (Dechen) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in 2001, and a provincial party standing committee member in 2010.
He was moved to TAR in Sep 2010, where he was appointed the head of its United Front Work Department and also became the Vice Chairman of the TAR People’s Political Consultative Conference in 2011. In 2012, he was appointed as the Party Secretary of the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
On Jan 15, 2017, Che was appointed the Chairman of TAR government, remaining in that position until 2021. This is the highest position within the TAR that a Tibetan can rise to, with the real power holder, the regional Party General Secretary, being seemingly reserved for the ethnic Chinese.
Che was then moved to Beijing where on Oct 23, 2021, he was appointed vice chairperson of the National People’s Congress Ethnic Affairs Committee. In Mar 2023, he took the position of deputy head of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the National Committee of the CPPCC.
Then, in Jan 2025, Che was placed under investigation for corruption. Six months later, he was expelled from the Party and removed from public office. At the end of last year, he was prosecuted for suspected bribery, and the court publicly heard his case in March. Ar that time, he was also accused of engaging in superstitious activities without any explanation.