Two former defense ministers sentenced to death with reprieve for bribery

Two former Chinese defense ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, were sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribe-related crimes, China's military court said on Thursday.

Both were deprived of political rights for life and had all personal assets confiscated. After the two-year reprieve is commuted to life imprisonment, they will remain imprisoned for life without the possibility of commutation or parole, the court said.

According to the rulings, Wei, a former member of the Central Military Commission, former state councilor and former minister of national defense, was convicted of taking bribes, while his successor Li was convicted of both taking and offering bribes.