Former Chinese justice minister, 67-year-old, Fu Zhenghua who previously led numerous campaigns against corruption has been sentenced to death for bribery involving over $16 million.
Fu who served as Justice Minister between March 2018 and April 2020 was accused of “taking advantage” of his position between 2005 and 2021, including accepting bribes worth more than 117 million yuan (about $16.76 million) and “bending the law for personal gains.”
The court found that Fu had concealed evidence involving a suspected serious crime committed by his brother Fu Weihua while serving as head of the Beijing public security bureau between 2014 and 2015. “This concealment allowed Fu Weihua to avoid prosecution for a long time,” the court stated in its verdict.
Fu who had pleaded guilty in July to receiving 117 million yuan approximately $16.5 million in gifts and money for personal gain, was handed the death sentence by the Judge at a court in Changchun, Thursday. Although the death sentence was commuted to life in prison after two years with no possibility of bail.
