Changchun, China- Former Chinese Justice Minister Fu Zhenghua, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after having been convicted of corruption and abuse of power.
Fu was handed a suspended death sentence that will be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, with no possibility of parole.
Prosecutors convicted Fu of using his authority as the nation’s top public security official to trade favours for gifts and money worth some 117 million yuan ($17.3 million), in return for helping others with business operations, legal cases, and securing official positions.
The 67-year-old served as Justice Minister from 2018 to 2020 after a lengthy career in law enforcement and the security service. He had also spearheaded several major corruption investigations of his own but he fell under suspicion in October, after he was accused of serious violations of discipline and national laws.
President Xi Jinping has made cracking down on corruption a cornerstone of his reign since assuming the country’s highest office in 2012. Over 100 000 people were indicted for graft during his first three years in office alone, with investigations opened against more than 1 500 public officials. Dozens of senior military officials have also been punished.
Meanwhile, Ronson Chan, the head of Hong Kong’s journalists’ association has been allowed to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) for a six-month-long journalism fellowship which is set to be hosted by the Reuters Institute at Oxford University, in October, after a Court granted him bail and declined to place restrictions on his movement over a charge of obstructing Police officers.
At a Court appearance on Thursday, Judge Peter Law granted Chan bail ahead of the next Court hearing in April 2023.
As part of his bail conditions, Chan will be required to inform the Police of his address and contact details once in the UK.
In a statement, the Institute’s director, Rasmus Nielsen, said they were looking forward to welcoming Chan in October.
“He is a distinguished and experienced journalist with much to share, and everyone here is looking forward to hosting him,” said Nielsen.
Chan was arrested on 7 September while he was covering a residence meeting at a Hong Kong housing estate. Police allege he refused to provide his ID and behaved in an uncooperative way despite multiple warnings, and he was charged this week, but he has claimed innocence, saying he was within his rights to ask Police for identification before he produced his.
The Hong Kong journalists’ association has been under immense pressure to disband, as it has been accused of being an anti-China organization with links to foreign actors.
