China’s former justice minister sentenced to life imprisonment for corruption | Abroad

Former Minister Zhenghua, who also held a senior position in the police and was deputy minister of public security, began his career as a simple inspector in Beijing. He was one of the most important fallen politicians over the past five years.

Coincidence or not, the time to pronounce the verdict comes shortly before the start of the CPC congress in mid-October. President Xi Jinping is seeking a third term as party leader.

The court said Xinghua was found guilty of “accepting a bribe” and “ignoring the law in his own interest and that of his loved ones.” From 2005 to 2021, according to the court, Zhenghua used his various functions to “help” individuals and businesses to get around the law for a fee.

“He received a total of more than 117 million yuan of illegal materials, either directly or through his relatives as intermediaries,” the court said. This transferred about 17 million euros. The court also convicted him of covering up his brother’s criminal activities.

Zhenghua was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve. After that, the sentence will be commuted to life, with no possibility of early release, the court says. Zhenghua would escape the death penalty because he confessed and cooperated with the police on other matters.

Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign when he took office in 2013. At least one and a half million people have already been sentenced. In addition to Zhenghua, several security officials were indicted on Wednesday.

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