A court in China on Thursday sentenced former Chinese Justice Minister and former deputy head of China's Ministry of Public Security Fu Zhenghua to death with a two-year stay of execution, China Central Television reported.

The Intermediate People's Court of Changchun City in Jilin Province on Thursday pronounced the sentence on former PRC Justice Minister and former deputy head of China's Ministry of Public Security Fu Zhenghua in a corruption case.

"Fu Zhenghua is sentenced to death for bribery with a two-year suspended sentence," the report said.

The court found that Fu Zhenghua used his official position to take bribes for personal gain, patronized individuals in the conduct of business, and he also "concealed evidence of his younger brother's alleged serious crimes." In particular, according to investigators, Fu Zhenghua received bribes totaling more than 117 million yuan (about $16.5 million).

The defendant pleaded guilty and repented and returned the ill-gotten gains. The court ruled that after a two-year reprieve, the death sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment without parole.

Fu Zhenghua served as deputy head of China's Ministry of Public Security from 2013 to 2018 and as minister of justice from 2018 to 2020.