A Chinese military court has sentenced two former defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe to death in a corruption case. However, the court has also given an extension of 2 years. If no new crime is committed for two years, the sentence can be commuted to life imprisonment.
News agency AP quoted the official news agency Xinhua as saying that the Chinese court found Wei Fenghe guilty of taking bribe and sentenced him to death with a deferment of 2 years. The court found Li Shangfu guilty of taking and giving bribes and sentenced him to the same punishment. In China, suspended death sentences are often commuted to life imprisonment.
Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign
The decisions are the latest in a campaign by Chinese President Xi Jinping to remove senior officials from office. Xi launched an anti-corruption campaign more than a decade ago and has continued it, culminating in the ouster of China’s top general and military leadership in January. China’s powerful Central Military Commission, which earlier had 11 members, now has only one member left except Xi Jinping.
The aim of this campaign is to end corruption. Xi Jinping has used anti-corruption measures as a way to consolidate political loyalty and control among the political elite. However, it is not clear whether either of them had political differences with Xi Jinping.
Wei Fenghe’s career
Wei served as Defense Minister from 2018 to 2023. Lee then replaced him, but after a few months he disappeared from public view. He was removed from the post in October 2023. Li spent much of his career as an expert in the missile and procurement branches of China’s People’s Liberation Army and was subject to travel and financial sanctions by the US for purchasing Russian military equipment. Dong Jun, who was appointed in place of Lee, still holds the post of Defense Minister. However, experts say he was not appointed to the once-powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the army.
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