Chinese military court awards suspended death sentences to former defence ministers
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Chinese military court awards suspended death sentences to former defence ministers")
Chinese army (File)
The suspended death sentences given to the two defence ministers for bribery means it will be commuted to life imprisonment after two years.
China on Thursday gave two former defense ministers suspended death sentences for corruption, reported the state media. Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve by a military court.
This means that the death sentences given to the two defence ministers for bribery will be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, with no chance of sentence reduction or parole.
Wei, 72, served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023. Li then took over as the defence minister in 2023 but stayed in the position for only eight months as he suddenly disappeared from public life, sparking speculation of his removal. Later both were placed under investigation by the military’s anti-graft arm.
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It is not the first time that top military officers have been axed by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In January China's highest ranking general Zhang Youxia was removed from his position.
An investigation launched into Wei in 2023 reportedly revealed he accepted "a huge amount of money and valuables" in bribes and "helped others gain improper benefits in personnel arrangements".
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Investigations into Li also revealed he took "huge sums of money" in bribes and bribed others. The findings further brought to the fore that he "sought personal benefits for himself and others" and "did not fulfil political responsibilities".
