TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two former Chinese defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Thursday, May 7, 2026, on corruption and bribery charges.
As reported by Xinhua and cited by CNA, their sentences were handed down separately by a Chinese military court. Both Wei and Li were also former members of the Central Military Commission and former members of the State Council of China.
According to the court's decision, Wei was found guilty of accepting bribes, while Li was found guilty of both accepting and offering bribes.
Their political rights were also revoked for life, and all their personal property will be confiscated by the state authorities.
An investigation launched against Wei in 2023 found that he had received a "a huge amount of money and valuables" in bribes and "helped others gain improper benefits in personnel arrangements," as reported by Xinhua in 2024.
The report added that his actions were "extremely serious in nature, with a highly detrimental impact and tremendous harm."
In China, a death sentence with a reprieve is usually commuted to life imprisonment if the perpetrator does not commit any crimes during the reprieve period.
The court's decision stated that there will be no reduction of the sentence or further parole after their sentences are commuted to life imprisonment in accordance with the law, following the end of the two-year reprieve.
Wei, a former Commander of the Rocket Force from 2015-2017, was succeeded by Li as a member of the state council and defense minister in March 2023.
Li, a trusted general of President Xi Jinping, has overseen the design and procurement of weapons and led Xi's vision for military modernization. He is a veteran leader of China's ambitious space program, overseeing various space missions.
The suspended death sentences imposed on them are believed to be one of the harshest penalties imposed on senior Chinese military officials in decades.
Former Vice Chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC), Guo Boxiong, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016 for accepting bribes. Meanwhile, another former CMC Vice Chair, Xu Caihou, died of cancer in 2015 while under investigation for corruption, before standing trial.
The Chinese military has been a major target of the widespread anti-corruption campaign ordered by President Xi Jinping since coming to power in 2012. The crackdown reached the elite Rocket Force, which oversees nuclear weapons and conventional missiles, in 2023.
Earlier this year, the crackdown intensified, leading to the dismissal of the highest-ranking general in the People's Liberation Army, Zhang Youxia. He was the highest-ranking CMC Vice Chair and a member of the Politburo, long seen as an ally of Xi.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies stated this year that the ongoing military corruption purge in China has left serious deficiencies in its command structure and likely hindered its rapidly modernizing armed forces.
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