BEIJING: China has handed suspended death sentences to two former defence ministers after they were convicted in major corruption cases, state media reported on Thursday.
According to the report, a military court sentenced former ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu in what is being described as one of the toughest actions taken against senior military figures under President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption drive.
The court ruled that both sentences would be suspended for two years and later commuted to life imprisonment, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The two officials served in top defence roles between 2018 and 2023 and were also members of China’s powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the armed forces.
Investigations found that Wei Fenghe accepted bribes, while Li Shangfu was convicted of both accepting and offering bribes. In addition to prison terms, both men have been permanently stripped of their political rights and had their personal assets confiscated.
The verdict marks a significant escalation in Beijing’s high-profile crackdown on corruption within the military and political leadership.
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