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China probes 36907 officials for corruption
January 6, 2014, 5:38 am

Chinese police officers raise the national flag outside the Jinan Intermediate People's Court in Jinan in eastern China's Shandong province [AP]

Chinese police officers raise the national flag outside the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in Jinan in eastern China’s Shandong province [AP]

China’s top prosecuting body investigated 36,907 officials on corruption charges from January to November in 2013.

The country’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) said on Sunday that 16510 of those cases “directly resulted in losses for the people”.

According to the SPP, 80.2 per cent of those charged were involved in serious corruption resulting in losses of more than 5.51 billion yuan ($910.57 million).

At the end of 2013, the ruling Communist Party of China ordered strict enforcement of a regulation that requires officials to report their assets and their family members’ earnings.

Corruption has long been a major public complaint in the world’s second largest economy.

In the period from 2008-2012, China has punished 668,400 people for “Party discipline violations” and more than 24,600 suspects have been referred for investigation according to official data.

The new Chinese leadership has shown determination to fight corruption even as the party has acknowledged that rising public anger over corrupt officials is a threat to stability.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, shortly after assuming office, urged all officials to “build a clean government, show self-discipline and restrain their relatives and associates.”

China is ranked as the 80th-least-corrupt country, tied with Greece according to Berlin-based Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for 2013.

China’s lawmakers are also discussing a new piece of legislation that would make it easier for citizens to take the government to court.

 

TBP and Agencies