Death sentence suspended for former official at Chinese defence gear supplier, state media reports

BEIJING (Reuters) -The former deputy general manager of a Chinese state-owned supplier of defence gear, He Wenzhong, was handed a death sentence with a two-year reprieve over charges linked to bribery, the national broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.

During his tenure at China Electronics Technology Group Corp from 2006 to 2023, He accepted more than 289 million yuan ($40.28 million) in kickbacks and bribes, CCTV reported.

The investigation into He by China’s anti-graft watchdog was made public last April.

He’s suspended death sentence means capital punishment will only be carried out if he commits further crimes during the period of reprieve. Otherwise, he will face a life sentence after two years.

($1 = 7.1744 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Beijing NewsroomEditing by Bernadette Baum)