BEIJING — China’s military court has given suspended death sentences to two former defense ministers on bribery charges, according to state news reports.

The court said former defense minister Wei Fenghe accepted bribes and sentenced him to death with a two-year reprieve. It also said Li Shangfu was guilty of accepting and offering bribes and received the same sentence. Under Chinese practice, suspended death sentences are often commuted to life in prison.

The cases were reported as the latest in a broader purge of senior officials under President Xi Jinping. While officials frame the campaign as an anti-corruption drive, experts say it has also helped consolidate political loyalty and tighten control within the elite.

Wei served as defense minister from 2018 until 2023. Li succeeded him but was removed from public view after his dismissal in October 2023. Both men were expelled from the Communist Party in 2024.

Their current replacement in the defense portfolio is Dong Jun, who continues to serve as defense minister, though analysts noted that he has not been appointed to the Central Military Commission in the same way earlier leaders were—an indication that the crackdown may have reshaped power structures inside the military leadership.