Former defense ministers handed harsh sentences
Two former top PLA officials were handed harsh sentences by military courts.
On May 7, Wei Fenghe – Minister of Defense from March 2018 to March 2023 – was convicted of bribery and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve.
- Li Shangfu – Minister of Defense from March to October 2023 – was convicted of both accepting and offering bribes, and received the same punishment.
After two years, both mens' sentences will convert to life imprisonment; the court has ordered that neither sentence ever be commuted and neither man ever be paroled.
ICYDK: This “life imprisonment without parole” provision was added to the Criminal Law in 2015 to apply specifically to corruption and bribery cases deemed exceptionally severe in scale and impact.
More context: The investigations into Wei and Li kicked off in 2023 as part of an unprecedented military anti-corruption campaign that has since purged roughly 90% of China’s senior generals.
- In early April, Xi Jinping vowed to press ahead with the campaign.
Get smart: By handing down harsh sentences, Xi wants to send a loud and clear message to the armed forces that everyone must fall in line.
Our question: Decades of anti-corruption campaigns have failed to deliver lasting results; why would this time be any different?