BEIJING (AP) — A former Chinese justice minister has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes and covering up the illegal activities of criminals, including his brother, state TV reported Thursday.
Fu Zhenghua’s conviction joins a string of senior officials convicted of corruption in a long-running crackdown that began after President Xi Jinping took power in late 2012.
China Central Television said on its website that Fu, 67, pleaded guilty to abusing his power as minister and police chief of the Chinese capital Beijing from 2005-21 to cover up the crimes of his brother and others.
In return, Fu received 117 million yuan ($16.5 million) in money and property, the official China Daily newspaper reported in July. Thursday’s report and previous news accounts gave no details of what Fu’s brother, Fu Weihua, was accused of doing.
If the convict is found to be reformed, the death penalty is usually commuted to a long prison term with recusal.
Fu will be sentenced to life in prison without parole, CCTV said.
