Saturday, August 22, 2026

Graft: China sentences two former defence ministers to death

The China state media, Xinhua reported that “Both Wei and Li were also former members of the Central Military Commission and former state councillors.”

• May 7, 2026
Chinese flag
Chinese flag[ credit: Shutterstock]

Two former Chinese defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, have been sentenced to to death with ​a two-year reprieve over graft charges.

Death sentences with a two-year reprieve for the duo means the sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, without the possibility of sentence reduction or parole. 

The China state media, Xinhua reported that “Both Wei and Li were also former members of the Central Military Commission and former state councillors.”

It added, the duo “were also stripped of their political rights for life, and all of their personal property will be confiscated.”

Mr Wei, 72, who served as China’s defence minister from 2018 to 2023, was convicted of the crime of accepting bribes. 

His successor, Mr Li, 68, who served as defence minister for less than eight months, was convicted for accepting and offering bribes.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Beach ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌‌‍⁠⁠‌‌⁠‍‌Volleyball: Nigeria beat Morocco, qualify for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

Sport

Beach ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌‌‍⁠⁠‌‌⁠‍‌Volleyball: Nigeria beat Morocco, qualify for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

The Nigerian women’s beach volleyball team qualified for the Olympic Games event for the first time in history after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the 2026 CAVB final on Saturday.

Cocoa seedlings

Agriculture

Ekiti ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌‌‍⁠‍⁠‍‌‌⁠⁠‍⁠⁠‌‌‍⁠‍⁠‍‌LG distributes improved cocoa seedlings to farmers

The chairman of Ikole Local Government Area, Bayo Omojola, said the seedlings would boost earnings and improve farmers’ livelihoods.

PENGASSAN

Economy

PENGASSAN elects Bosun Olabiyi-Agoro as national president

Mr Olabiyi-Agoro succeeds Festus Osifo, who served as the association’s national president for six years.

Calabar

States

Fire guts Calabar mall

The inferno reportedly started around 7:00 a.m. in a section of the mall before spreading rapidly and growing into a huge fire.

CP Ayodeji Faniyan

Politics

2027: Shun thuggery, promote peace, Plateau CP tells youths

Mr Faniyan said youths remain central to democracy and national development.

Lagos State government

Lagos

Lagos govt begins stakeholder engagement on Ikotun junction upgrade

The proposed upgrade covers the intersection of Ijegun, Isolo, and Idimu roads and aims to improve traffic flow, connectivity, and mobility in the area.