China’s military court has sentenced former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu to death with a two-year reprieve on bribery-related corruption charges.
China has handed suspended death sentences to former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu in a major anti-corruption ruling, according to state media and the Ministry of National Defense.
Xinhua reported that Wei was convicted of accepting bribes, while Li was convicted of both accepting and offering bribes. The report said both men were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, stripped of political rights for life and had their personal property confiscated.
The ministry republished the same ruling shortly after Xinhua’s report. AP and Reuters also reported the sentence based on the state-media disclosure.
A suspended death sentence in China is often commuted to life imprisonment after the reprieve period, AP reported. The ruling is one of the most severe public punishments imposed in China’s recent anti-graft campaign against senior military figures.
No further official appeal details or legal filings were reported alongside the ruling.
Revision note
Initial automated publication.