Former Chinese language justice minister Fu Zhenghua, who had headed a number of high-profile investigations into corruption, has been jailed for all times for accepting bribes, state media says, as a purge of officers intensified forward of a key Communist get together congress.
Fu, 67, was handed a suspended demise sentence that might be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, with no risk of parole, in accordance with state media on Thursday.
Fu was deputy head of the ministry of public safety earlier than turning into justice minister in 2018, and had led many high-profile investigations and crackdowns together with an investigation a couple of decade in the past into Zhou Yongkang, a former safety tsar and essentially the most highly effective official in trendy China to be convicted of bribery.
In July, Fu admitted accepting bribes exceeding 117m yuan ($16.50m).
Forward of Fu’s courtroom trial within the north-eastern metropolis of Changchun, China’s anti-graft watchdog decided earlier this yr that Fu had additionally been a part of a “political gang” of Solar Lijun – probably the most distinguished officers from the safety equipment to be focused since Zhou’s conviction in 2015.
Solar, who was vice-minister of public safety when investigations towards him started in 2020, admitted on state tv in January that he had colluded with some prime legislation enforcement officers with the intention of non-public enrichment.
Solar was additionally accused of not embracing President Xi Jinping’s authority.
The affect of Solar, who has but to obtain his sentence, was so pervasive inside the get together that it had been described by authorities as “toxic” and Solar himself was like a “most cancers” that wanted to be eradicated.
On Wednesday, three former police chiefs of Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi province had been sentenced to years in jail – together with one for all times – for corruption.
Like Fu, they’d additionally been accused of being a part of Solar’s clique and for being disloyal to Xi.
The purges got here three weeks forward of a once-in-five-years congress of the ruling Communist get together the place Xi is extensively anticipated to safe a precedent-breaking third time period as China’s chief.