Sun Xiaoguo, a gang leader who was sentenced to death by the Kunming Intermediate People's Court for violent crimes including rape in 1998, was set free in 2010 when his sentence got reduced to 20 years in prison. But he continued to commit crimes even after his release. His original death sentence was brought back on Monday.

The judgment delivered by Yunnan High People's Court on Monday contained two parts. First it said it was wrong to change the death penalty given to Sun in 1998 to 20 years in prison. Second, it sentenced Sun to 25 years in prison for continuing to commit crimes even after his release in 2010. The two sentences when read together mean Sun gets the death sentence.

The court said that the original death sentence on Sun in 1998 was correct, which means he deserved death 21 years ago. In other words, justice was done 21 years late.

What caused that delay? What made a criminal who should have died 21 years ago survive for so long? What was the force that halted justice for 21 years?

It is corruption.

According to the press release issued by the local courts and anti-corruption agencies, Sun's mother, who was a policewoman, and his stepfather, a local official, had engaged in some dirty dealing that helped Sun get a lighter penalty than he deserved.

As many as 19 local officials were found guilty in the case on Monday. Among them, Sun's mother was sentenced to 20 years in prison and his stepfather to 19 years.

Sun's case underlines the need to root out corruption before striking at criminal gangs. It is these corrupt officials who protect gangsters and even bail them out. Only when corruption is controlled will gangsters be rightfully brought to book.

Justice was delivered in this case thanks to an ongoing drive to root out corruption and wipe out criminal gangs. A central inspection group in Yunnan sniffed a rat in the case sometime in April. A month later the case was listed as a major one.

It is difficult to figure out how Sun's mother and stepfather abused power to bail him out, but that's no longer important. It is more important to plug the loopholes and strengthen anti-corruption measures so that there are no repeats like Sun's case.