China gives suspended death sentences to two former defense ministers
The court said the former ministers were convicted of bribery and will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment after two years.
- On Thursday, Chinese Defence Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery, with sentences to be commuted to life imprisonment without parole, according to Xinhua.
- Chinese President Jinping's anti-corruption drive, launched in 2012, has punished over a million officials to clean up the Communist Party and PLA, though critics argue it serves as a tool to purge political rivals.
- Following investigations into graft, Rocket Force leaders Wei and Li were expelled from the Communist Party in 2024 after placement under investigation in 2023, with their roles in the unit established in 2015 central to the charges.
- The suspended sentences align with standard practice in China, where such penalties are routinely commuted to life imprisonment; state media said the verdicts will 'remove toxic influences' and strengthen military modernization.
- Data from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies shows 52% of the PLA's top leadership positions have been affected by Jinping's shake-up since 2022, including the January removal of Zhang Youxia.
55 Articles
55 Articles
Why China has given suspended death sentences to ex-defence ministers Wei Fenghe, Li Shangfu
A military court in China on Thursday (May 7) has sentenced former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, to death with a two-year reprieve over graft charges. This comes amid Chinese President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on corruption, especially in the military
China hands suspended death sentences to 2 ex-defence ministers for graft, state media report
A Chinese military court handed suspended death sentences on Thursday to two former defence ministers for corruption, state media said. Former Chinese defence ministers Wei Fenghe (left) and Li Shangfu. File photos: US Department of Defense, Wikimedia Commons. They are the harshest sentences that Beijing has slapped on high-ranking military officials as part of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu’s…
China announced Thursday the death penalty suspended for two years from former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, accused of corruption, bribery and...
China has announced on Thursday the death sentence of two former defense ministers accused of corruption: Li Shangfu—who held office for a few months in 2023, before being dismissed on the order of President Xi Jinping—and Wei Fenghe, his immediate predecessor, who served as the holder of Defense between 2018 and 2023. Both have been sentenced by a military court with the death penalty “suspended for two years,” that is to say: they will not be …
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