BEIJING — China has expelled two former defense ministers from the ruling Communist Party over accusations of corruption that are likely to lead to sentences of life in prison.
The Defense Ministry on Thursday said Li Shangfu had abused his authority to enrich himself by taking bribes in exchange for granting favors in violation of military and party discipline. Li’s predecessor, Wei Fenghe, was also accused on similar charges.
Such charges have been leveled in the past against many military leaders under the rule of President and party leader Xi Jinping, who also heads the armed forces as chairman of the Central Military Commission and has made a crackdown on corruption a hallmark of his rule since taking power more than a decade ago.
Li is being investigated for corruption and bribery, the official Xinhua news agency reported Thursday. He was removed from office in October 2023 after disappearing from public view for almost two months.
Wei was placed under investigation in September and was suspected of “seriously violating political and organizational discipline by helping others gain improper benefits in personnel arrangements,” Xinhua reported.
He was found to have accepted a “huge amount of money and valuables in return, constituting the suspected crime of taking bribes,” Xinhua said, adding that he had “lost his faith and loyalty and contaminated the political environment of the military, ”bringing enormous…
