Chinese Court Sentences Sun Lijun To Life Imprisonment As Xi Crushes ‘Political Clique’: Report

Former Vice Public Security Minister Sun Lijun was given a suspended death sentence, there is no possibility of parole

Beijing: A court in China has sent a former top security official to life imprisonment. This has brought an end to a crackdown on the “political clique” he led just weeks before a crucial Communist Party reshuffle.

Former Vice Public Security Minister Sun Lijun was given a suspended death sentence. There is no possibility of parole by the court in this case, state broadcaster China Central Television reported. He is found guilty of taking bribes worth 646 million yuan ($91 million), stock manipulation, and illegal gun possession, the report said.

The report did not mention anything about Sun’s political dealings. But he was accused of “cultivating personal power and forming an interest group,” by the top political disciplinary body. He was also found to be negligent in his duties during the Covid outbreaks in early 2020, and he was accused of leaking confidential documents.

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On Thursday, another two people associated with the group — former justice minister Fu Zhenghua and Wang Like, who was a senior official in Jiangsu were too given death sentences. On Wednesday, former Shanghai police chief Gong Daoan, former Chongqing police chief Deng Huilin, and former Shanxi police chief Liu Xinyun were ordered to serve lengthy terms in prison.

The verdicts also highlighted the willingness of Chinese President Xi Jinping to dethrone high-ranking officials ahead of a key congress in which he is expected to secure a record-breaking third term.

After coming into power in 2012, Xi has battled unprecedented anti-corruption campaigns in which dozens of high-ranking officials were accused of being corrupt. Retired security czar Zhou Yongkang’s name is also involved in this list. Xi expelled and prosecuted Poltiburo member Sun Zhengcai prior to the 2017 congress.

In July 2020, targeting the justice system, China launched an anti-corruption campaign nationwide. High-profile officials are being jailed as a result of that probe, which ensnared more than 170,000 officials and police officers.

According to CCTV, the court order cited that Sun was found to illegally obtain promotions for others after accepting bribes. He also poked his nose in the medical and financial sectors, it said.

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