Top CPC anti-graft official vows to severely punish corruptionists

Source: Xinhua | 11-01-2008 08:50

BEIJING, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China's (CPC) top anti-graft official on Friday called on the country's prosecutors to severely punish corrupt officials, deepen the graft fight and uphold integrity.

Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection He Guoqiang told a national conference of prosecutors that, "Violations of laws and Party disciplines were frequent with some departments in some places."

He, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, said a high wave of cracking down hard on corruption should be kept up to frighten corruptionists so as to root out corruption.

Corruption cases involving officials above the county-level should be given more attention, he said, adding a clamping down on graft was a major task of the fight against corruption and a basic obligation of procuratorates.

He asked prosecutors not to fear to challenge any evil forces and handle cases "strictly in accordance with laws and disciplines".

"Any corruptionist must not escape punishment of the nation's law and the Party's disciplines."

Cases involving "violations of political disciplines, commercial briberies, dereliction of duty and serious infringement of public interest" should be severely dealt with, he said, adding more efforts should be put on the solving of major corruption cases.

Officials who were falsely accused should be put the record straight, he said, adding an anti-corruption mechanism should be formed to eradicate corruption sources at root.

The CPC discipline watchdog had stepped up its crackdown on corruption during recent years, with more high-level officials being investigated and sentenced in jail terms or even deaths.

The recent large sentence was handed out to Beijing's former vice mayor Liu Zhihua who was given a death penalty with a two-year reprieve for taking bribes.

He was charged with taking bribes of about 6.97 million yuan (1.02 million U.S. dollars) when he was vice mayor of Beijing and director of the management committee of Zhongguancun Science Park from 1999 to 2006.

Liu was removed from his mayoral post in June 2006 and expelled from the CPC six months later.

Editor:Xiong