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.
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129 Articles
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Today’s top items: 1. Suspended death sentences for two former Defense Ministers – Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were both sentenced to death with a two-year suspended sentence, which means they will likely spend the rest of their lives in jail. Wei was found guilty of accepting bribes and Li was found guilty of accepting...
Two former defense ministers have been sentenced to death for corruption, Chinese state media report. The men in question are Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu. A military court found it proven that Wei accepted bribes. Li was also convicted for this, as well as for offering kickbacks. The court granted the men a two-year stay of execution. This likely means that their death sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment upon good behavior. There is no …
Former China Defence Ministers Given Suspended Death Penalties
What happens when two of a country’s most powerful military figures fall from grace at the same time?In China, the answer has been dramatic. Former defence ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu have both been handed suspended death sentences on corruption charges. A stunning development in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-graft campaign.The punishment is severe but calculated. Under China’s legal system, a suspended death sentence is usually c…
Liberation
INTELLINEWSThe sentence of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, sentenced this Thursday for corruption, will be commuted to life imprisonment, after two years of probation.
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