China has sentenced two former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, to death with a two-year reprieve over corruption-related offences.
According to Chinese state media, both men were convicted by a military court on bribery charges, with all personal assets confiscated.
Under China’s legal system, the suspended death sentences are expected to be commuted to life imprisonment after two years without the possibility of parole or sentence reduction.
Wei served as China’s defence minister from 2018 to 2023 before being succeeded by Li in March 2023.
Li, however, had a brief tenure and was removed from office in October 2023 after disappearing from public view for weeks, fueling speculation about an internal investigation.
The convictions come amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign led by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which has seen several senior military officials removed from office.
Earlier this year, Xi said the Chinese military had undergone “revolutionary tempering” through the anti-graft crackdown.
Critics, however, argue that the campaign has also been used to sideline political opponents within the ruling establishment.
