चीन के दो पूर्व रक्षा मंत्रियों को मौत की सजा: भ्रष्टाचार मामले में वेई फेंघे और ली शांगफू दोषी करार, पूरी प्रॉपर्टी भी जब्त

China has sentenced two former defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe to death in corruption cases. According to government news agency Xinhua, both will be kept in jail for the first two years. If he does not commit any new crime for two years, the sentence can be commuted to life imprisonment.

Li Shangfu was suddenly removed from office last year, while Wei Fenghe also came under investigation for military corruption. After which both were expelled from the ruling Communist Party of China in 2024.

According to experts, this action is part of President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign. In the last few years, action has been taken against many senior officials of China’s army and defense.

China’s former Defense Minister Li Shangfu (right) taking oath at the ‘Great Hall of the People’ in Beijing in 2023.

Li Shangfu accused of bribery and discipline violation

China’s former Defense Minister Li Shangfu was suddenly removed from his post in October last year. He was not seen in public for about two months, which gave rise to much speculation.

Now for the first time Chinese officials have officially admitted that a corruption-related investigation was going on against them.

According to the CCTV report, the military discipline investigation agency found that Li ‘seriously violated party discipline and law’. He has been accused of taking bribes on a large scale, giving bribes to others and abusing his position.

The report said that Lee’s activities caused huge damage to the image of the army’s weapons development and military equipment.

Action also taken against former Defense Minister Wei Fenghe

Former Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has been accused of taking bribes and abusing his position. China’s military court has found him guilty of corruption. The investigation revealed that Wei Fenghe had allegedly taken bribes in exchange for favors in decisions related to the Defense Ministry and the army.

Wei Fenghe was counted among China’s senior military officers. Along with being the former Defense Minister of China, he has also been the Commander of the Rocket Force in the Chinese Army. The Rocket Force handles China’s missile and nuclear weapons systems.

Wei Fenghe was the Defense Minister of China from 2018 to 2023.

Focus of investigation on rocket force

According to reports, the PLA Rocket Force and the Army’s arms procurement department are considered to be the biggest centers of ongoing corruption investigation in China. PLA Rocket Force is a special unit of the Chinese Army, which handles the country’s nuclear missiles and long range ballistic missiles.

It is considered a very important part of China’s military power, because this unit has the capability to launch a nuclear attack if needed.

Investigative agencies suspect that corruption took place on a large scale in the purchase of weapons for the army, defense deals and supply of military equipment. There are allegations that many officials took bribes in awarding contracts and big military deals.

The Central Military Commission had investigated the matter

The case of Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe was investigated by the investigating agencies of the Central Military Commission (CMC) on allegations of corruption and bribery.

The CMC is China’s supreme military body, which exercises control over the military on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government. Chinese President Xi Jinping is the chairman of CMC.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA), People’s Armed Police (PAP) and militia work under it.

Part of Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign

In the last one year, dozens of senior officials associated with China’s military and aerospace sector have been removed from their posts. According to experts, this action is part of President Xi Jinping’s campaign against corruption and distrust.

—————

Read this news also…

Why the oil crisis did not affect China: Emergency reserves were created 20 years ago, electricity was generated in new ways; Not even dependent on chemicals

Amidst the increasing tension in West Asia, where many countries are facing energy crisis, its impact on China is less visible compared to the rest of the world. The reason for this is that China was preparing itself for such a situation for many years. Read the full news…