The Chinese military court on Thursday separately handed down death sentences with two-year reprieves to two former defense ministers of China over graft charges.

Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu are both former members of the Central Military Commission and former State councilors. They were stripped of their political rights for life and all their personal assets were seized as Wei was convicted of accepting bribes and Li of both accepting and offering bribes.

The court rulings said that no further commutation or parole will be allowed after their penalties are commuted to life imprisonment in accordance with the law upon the expiration of the two-year reprieve period.

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Wei, 72, a native of Shandong province, enrolled in the military in 1970 and joined the Communist Party of China two years later. He became a member of the CMC in 2012 and was appointed as a State councilor and minister of national defense in 2018.

In September 2023, disciplinary and supervisory authorities of the CMC launched an investigation into Wei for serious violations of Party discipline and national laws. It was found that he failed to fulfill his political responsibilities, resisted investigation, sought personnel benefits for others and accepted large sums of money as bribes. Other serious violations were also identified.

The investigation statement said that Wei experienced a collapse of faith and a loss of loyalty. His actions betrayed the trust placed in him, severely damaged the political environment of the military, and caused significant harm to the Party's cause, national defense, military development and the image of senior leadership, it added.

Li, 68, a native of Jiangxi province, joined the CPC in 1980 and enrolled in the military two years later. He became a member of the CMC in 2022 and was appointed as a State councilor and minister of national defense in March 2023.

Li was placed under investigation in August 2023. Authorities found that he failed to fulfill his political responsibilities, resisted investigation, violated organizational discipline by seeking personnel benefits for himself and others, and accepted and offered large sums of money as bribes. Other serious violations were also identified.

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The investigation statement said that Li abandoned his original aspiration and ignored Party principles. His actions severely damaged the political environment within the military's equipment sector and the industry's ethos, causing significant harm to the Party's cause, national defense, military development and the image of senior leadership, it said, describing the nature of Li's misconduct as extremely serious.

The cases against Wei and Li were transferred to military procuratorial authorities for review and prosecution, after they were expelled from the CPC in June 2024. Before that, the CMC had decided to expel Wei from the military and revoke his rank of general in the Rocket Force, and to expel Li from the military and revoke his rank of general in the Army.

A commentary published in February by the People's Liberation Army Daily said that the military will continue to deepen political rectification and advance efforts to improve conduct and fight corruption. The article acknowledged that the task of removing the breeding grounds and conditions for corruption remains difficult and demanding.

The commentary added that the recent concentrated investigations into corruption do not suggest that corruption is worsening, but rather that anti-graft efforts are becoming more thorough.

Contact the writers at yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn