Chinese media reported that two former Defence Ministers, Wei Fenghe and his successor Li Shangfu, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve over corruption charges on Thursday.
According to the state-run news outlet, Xinhua, the Chinese military court handed over the sentences in two separate cases. Wei was found guilty of accepting bribes, while Li was convicted of accepting and offering bribes.
The disgraced ministers worked under President Xi Junping before being expelled from the ruling Communist Part in 2024. They were also former members of the Central Military Commission led by Xi. Wei acted as the Defence Minister of China from 2018 to 2023, while Li’s tenure was much shorter, lasting barely a few months.
Wei and Li also presided over the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Rocket (Missile) force, which was established in 2015 as one of the measures under Xi’s military overhaul.
Wei had led the Rocket force since its formation until 2017 and was later appointed as the Defence Minister of the country. He was subjected to investigations in 2023 after being accused of accepting “a huge amount of money and valuables” in bribes and assisting in illegal personnel arrangements.
He was succeeded by Li, who was personally picked by President Xi for the position in 2023. Li served from March to October before being sacked for similar charges. After Li’s removal, many top officials were also ousted and investigated on grounds of corruption.
The court sentencing is part of Xi’s anti-corruption purge that has been in full swing since he came to power in 2012, where over a million officials, including generals, have been punished.
The PLA has used the two cases as cautionary tales to warn its officials against harbouring “divided loyalties towards the Party”.
“Party members and cadres in the military, particularly senior officers, must take corrupt officials such as Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, who have been investigated and punished, as cautionary examples,” the army said in its official newspaper.
