Former Chinese Defense Ministers Sentenced to Death with Reprieve

(Patria) - Two former Chinese defense ministers have been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on corruption charges, state media reported.

A military court today sentenced Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu to death with a two-year delay in execution, the BBC writes.

This verdict means that after two years, their death sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment, without the possibility of sentence reduction or early release, the Xinhua agency reports.

Both were found guilty of accepting bribes, and all their personal property has been confiscated.

This announcement follows the recent dismissal of several high-ranking military officials as part of an extensive anti-corruption campaign in the country.

Wei Fenghe served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023, and in March 2023, he was succeeded by Li Shangfu.

Li's tenure was significantly shorter. He was dismissed in October 2023, two months after he suddenly disappeared from public view, which fueled speculation about his removal.

The Reuters news agency, citing earlier reports from Xinhua, states that Li was suspected of accepting "huge sums of money" as bribes and of bribing others.

The investigation found that he "did not fulfill his political responsibilities" and "sought personal benefits for himself and others."

Similarly, the investigation into Wei, launched in 2023, revealed that he had received "a huge amount of money and valuables" in the form of bribes and that he had "helped others obtain improper benefits in personnel decisions."

In February, Chinese President Xi Jinping made an unusually public mention of a military purge that recently led to the dismissal of the country's highest military general, Zhang Youxia. Xi said at the time that the army had "undergone revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption."

Since coming to power, Xi has launched a series of anti-corruption campaigns, which critics claim also serve as a means to eliminate political rivals.