General sentenced to life for corruption, stripped of rank

A retired high-ranking military officer in China has been sentenced to life in jail by a military court for corruption, state media report. Guo Boxiong, 74, was accused of using his influence to seek promotions for others and of accepting bribes. He was stripped of his rank of general and his personal assets have been […]

A retired high-ranking military officer in China has been sentenced to life in jail by a military court for corruption, state media report.
Guo Boxiong, 74, was accused of using his influence to seek promotions for others and of accepting bribes. He was stripped of his rank of general and his personal assets have been seized, Xinhua news agency reports.
President Xi Jinping has led a major anti-corruption campaign since taking office nearly four years ago.
Hundreds of thousands of officials have been disciplined as part of the drive.
From 2002 until 2012, Guo served as vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, in charge of the People’s Liberation Army – the world’s biggest armed forces.
During that time he had also been a member of the 25-person Politburo – the power-base of the Communist Party.
The Communist Party expelled him last year following a corruption probe.
Guo’s trial was held behind closed doors and Xinhua did not disclose the amount of money involved. But sources said in April that Guo was prosecuted for accepting bribes worth $12.3m (£8.6m).