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China Sentences Former Defense Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu to Death With Reprieve

The rare death-with-reprieve sentences signal Xi Jinping's tightening grip on the military.

Overview

  • China's military court said it gave former defense chiefs Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu death sentences with a two-year reprieve for graft, and it did not disclose the sums involved.
  • After the reprieve, each sentence converts to life in prison with no parole or further reduction.
  • The court found Wei accepted bribes, while it ruled that Li both accepted and offered bribes.
  • The judgment also strips both men of political rights for life and confiscates all personal property.
  • Both had been expelled from the Communist Party in 2024 for "serious discipline" violations, and international reports call these the toughest punishments for senior PLA officers since Xi’s 2012 anti-graft drive.