Two Former Chinese Defense Ministers Sentenced to Death With Reprieve for Corruption
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu received suspended death sentences on May 7 after convictions by a military court for bribery offenses. The rulings come as part of an anti-corruption campaign in the People's Liberation Army. Both men will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment without parole after a two-year period.
jurist.orgTwo former Chinese defense ministers were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for corruption, according to state media. Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu received the suspended death sentences on May 7 following graft convictions by China’s military court, Reuters reported.
The penalties include the stripping of their political rights for life and the forfeiture of all personal property. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, Wei was convicted of accepting bribes while Li was found guilty of both accepting and offering bribes.
Under Chinese law, a death sentence with a two-year reprieve is typically commuted to life imprisonment if no further crimes are committed during that period. In this instance the penalties will be reduced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or further commutation.
Background on the Officials Wei Fenghe, 72, served as China’s defense minister from 2018 to 2023. Li Shangfu, 68, held the post for only a few months as his successor. Both men were former state councillors and members of the Central Military Commission, the top military leadership body.
They also previously led the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, which oversees the country’s nuclear arsenal and conventional missile systems.
The sentences come amid a long-running anti-corruption effort within the armed forces that has targeted senior officials. The campaign intensified in 2023 when investigations reached the Rocket Force and other elite units. Both Wei and Li were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in June 2024.
Singapore-based security scholar James Char told Reuters the sentences were the harshest imposed on members of the Central Military Commission in recent history. "That Wei and Li have been commuted to life imprisonment without parole or commutation underlines the severity of their offences," he said.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies had previously warned that the ongoing purges could create disruptions affecting the readiness of the country’s armed forces.
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