China hands 2 former defense ministers suspended death sentences – POLITICO

A Chinese military court has handed two former defense ministers suspended death sentences following their convictions on graft charges.

Wei Fenghe, who served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023, and his successor Li Shangfu, who held the post for several months in 2023, were convicted on Thursday of accepting bribes. Li was also found guilty of offering bribes.

Both were given a suspended death sentence with a two-year reprieve and no parole, which is often automatically commuted to life imprisonment after that period. According to China’s Xinhua state news agency, both men were stripped of their political rights for life and will have all personal assets confiscated.

Li, once seen as being close to Chinese President Xi Jinping, disappeared from public view the very same year he was appointed minister, alongside several other high-ranking defense officials.

Since Xi’s reign began in 2012, the president’s purges have removed millions of officials. Some of the high-ranking convicted officials have reportedly died in custody.