Deputy Chief of Staff of Chinese Navy Given Death Sentence, then Reprieve

Deputy Chief of Staff of Chinese Navy Given Death Sentence, then Reprieve
5/19/2006
Updated:
9/11/2015

According to Chengming Magazine, Wang Shouye, Deputy Chief of Staff of China’s Navy, was sentenced to death but given a reprieve during a court-martial in which he was charged with embezzling 160 million yuan (approximately US$19 million).

Corrupt General Embezzled Huge Sums of Money

On April 10, Wang Shouye, was sentenced to death for embezzling funds from 1997 to 2001 while he was the Vice Logistics Minister and Construction Minister for the army. Wang thus became the highest ranking General to be publicly charged with embezzlement.

Wang’s Arrest

In December 2005, Wang asked for leave to go to Zhuhai. He expected to leave on the afternoon of the 23rd. While attending a daily meeting at the navy headquarters that morning, Wang was arrested by the Military Police.

Huge Amounts of Cash Found in Wang’s Houses

After Wang’s arrest, his houses in Beijing and Naning were searched. As much as 52 million yuan (US$6.5 million) in cash was found inside a refrigerator and a microwave oven. Over US$2.5 million in cash was found in a washing machine. There was another $50 million plus in a “private” bank account in the name of Wang’s office. According to Wang’s confession, he gave his staff $20 million in addition to their regular pay.

Extramarital Affairs

It has been widely reported on Chinese Internet that Wang Shouye spent more than 12 million yuan (US$1.5 million) to maintain relationships with five women.

The women were employed by the Arts and Entertaining Corps of Naning Military Area, the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and the Beijing Military Area, and the Confidential Departments of the Land Army Military College and the General Logistic Ministry of the PLA.

Twice Named “Outstanding Party Member”

The initial proposal to promote Wang to Navy Commander was rejected by the Central Discipline Inspection Commission of the PLA. The Commission held that Wang’s way of life was profligate, his way of work was desultory, he used dishonorable means to form a gang, and he always overstated his achievements and craved fame. However, the Logistics Department in which Wang worked had appraised him as nearly “perfect”.

In October 2001, Wang had requested retirement citing health reasons; however, the request was denied.

Wang Shouye had been embezzling funds for as long as five years. However, during four of those five years, he was named “outstanding party member” and “outstanding cadre”. He was also awarded the Third Class Merit Citation twice.

Four major Generals and seven senior Colonels were also implicated in Wang’s case. Five of the senior staff were dismissed from the army and six were demoted.

Appointed Navy Commander

According to inside sources in the CCP Central Military Commission, Navy Commander Zhang Dingfa, was flown to a hospital in Beijing with late-stage lung cancer after he suddenly lost consciousness during a meeting.

As a result, at the beginning of April, Wu Shengli, Deputy Chief of General Staff, was appointed Navy Commander and a member of the Central Military Commission by the CCP Central Military Commission.