First-Instance Verdicts Handed Down in the Cases of Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu

魏凤和案、李尚福案一审宣判

PLA Daily (解放军报) 7 May 2026

Summary

On May 7, 2026, Chinese military courts handed down first-instance verdicts against Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu—consecutive former Ministers of National Defense and Central Military Commission members—sentencing both to death with a two-year reprieve, permanent deprivation of political rights, and full asset confiscation, with automatic commutation to life imprisonment without possibility of reduction or parole. The verdicts mark the formal judicial conclusion of the most significant corruption prosecutions within the PLA's senior leadership in the Xi era, targeting two consecutive defense ministers and signaling that CMC-level rank provides no immunity from terminal career and legal consequences. The identical sentencing structure applied to both men, and the explicit bar on sentence reduction or parole, reflects a deliberate deterrence signal directed at the officer corps rather than a case-specific proportionality judgment.

First-instance verdicts against two consecutive former Defense Ministers and CMC members — Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu — both receiving suspended death sentences, representing an unprecedented public accountability action at the highest level of PLA civilian leadership and signaling the scale of the corruption investigation within the defense establishment.

Translation

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, May 7 — On May 7, 2026, a military court lawfully rendered a verdict in the bribery case against Wei Fenghe, former member of the Central Military Commission and former State Councilor and Minister of National Defense. The court found Wei Fenghe guilty of the crime of accepting bribes and sentenced him to death with a two-year reprieve, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal assets. Upon the lawful commutation of his death sentence with reprieve to life imprisonment at the expiration of the two-year period, he shall be subject to life imprisonment without the possibility of sentence reduction or parole.

On May 7, 2026, a military court lawfully rendered a verdict in the bribery and bribe-giving case against Li Shangfu, former member of the Central Military Commission and former State Councilor and Minister of National Defense. The court found Li Shangfu guilty of the crime of accepting bribes and the crime of offering bribes, and, applying combined punishment for multiple offenses, determined that the sentence to be carried out shall be death with a two-year reprieve, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal assets. Upon the lawful commutation of his death sentence with reprieve to life imprisonment at the expiration of the two-year period, he shall be subject to life imprisonment without the possibility of sentence reduction or parole.

Original Chinese

新华社北京5月7日电 2026年5月7日，军事法院依法对中央军委原委员、原国务委员兼国防部长魏凤和受贿案进行了宣判，认定魏凤和犯受贿罪，判处死刑，缓期二年执行，剥夺政治权利终身，并处没收个人全部财产，在其死刑缓期执行二年期满依法减为无期徒刑后，终身监禁，不得减刑、假释。 2026年5月7日，军事法院依法对中央军委原委员、原国务委员兼国防部长李尚福受贿、行贿案进行了宣判，认定李尚福犯受贿罪、行贿罪，数罪并罚，决定执行死刑，缓期二年执行，剥夺政治权利终身，并处没收个人全部财产，在其死刑缓期执行二年期满依法减为无期徒刑后，终身监禁，不得减刑、假释。