Two former Chinese Defence Ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve over graft charges on Thursday (May 7, 2026), official media reported.
Their sentences were separately handed down by China's military court, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Wei was convicted of accepting bribes, while Li was convicted of both accepting and offering bribes, the agency reported, citing the court rulings.
Wei and his successor Li, who worked under President Xi Jinping's watch, were expelled from the ruling Communist Party in 2024. They were also former members of the Central Military Commission headed by Mr. Xi.
Wei served as Defence Minister from 2018 to 2023, and Li barely served a few months as his successor.
