He was convicted of embezzling 160 million yuan of public funds and received a death sentence with reprieve in 2006, later commuted to life in prison.

Wang Shouye was born in 1943 to a peasant family in Li Village, Dengli Township, Ye County, Henan Province.

An excellent student, he achieved the sixth highest score in Henan Province in the 1964 Gaokao and was admitted to Tianjin University, where he majored in civil engineering.

After several years of fruitless bargaining over the payment, Jiang reported Wang's embezzlement to the leaders of the Central Military Commission, resulting in the investigation that led to his conviction.

[5] Wang may have also gained CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin's favour for building the grandiose new headquarters of the Central Military Commission.