Former Chinese Defense Ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were handed death sentences with a two-year reprieve by a military tribunal on the 7th due to corruption charges. They face life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Xinhua News Agency reported that on the 7th, the military court sentenced former member of the Central Military Commission, former State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe for bribery, sentencing him to death with a two-year reprieve, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property. After serving the two-year reprieve, the sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment according to law, with lifelong imprisonment with no possibility of sentence reduction or parole.
According to reports, on the 7th, the military court also handed down a verdict on the bribery and offering bribes case of former member of the Central Military Commission, former State Councilor and Defense Minister Li Shangfu. Li was convicted of accepting and offering bribes, with cumulative penalties, resulting in a death sentence with a two-year reprieve, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property. After serving the two-year reprieve, the sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment according to law, with lifelong imprisonment and no possibility of sentence reduction or parole.
“Suspended death sentence” refers to the death penalty with a two-year reprieve, a unique sentencing system in China. Unlike regular probation, during the reprieve period, the convict remains incarcerated. If the person does not intentionally commit another crime during the reprieve, the sentence is commuted to life imprisonment.
PLA Daily: The Military Can Never Harbor Anyone Disloyal to the Party
The front page of the PLA Daily, published on the 8th, prominently featured a commentary titled “坚持有腐必反、有贪必肃 (There Must be Zero Tolerance for Corruption and Greed).” The commentary stated that the first-instance verdict demonstrates the firm determination and resolve of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission to root out corruption, and declared that the downfall of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, whose faith collapsed and loyalty failed, was entirely self-wrought — a cocoon spun by themselves, a result of their own actions.
The article stated that the military bears arms and can never harbor individuals with divided loyalty to the Party, nor leave any shelter for corruption within its ranks.
The commentary further called on the PLA to unite even more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, to uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, deeply implement Xi Jinping’s thinking on strengthening the military, and thoroughly carry out the military strategic guidelines for the new era. It also called for adherence to the “Chairman Responsibility System of the Central Military Commission.”