Buoyed by the success of the anti-corruption drive, China will
begin auditing medium-ranking officials from the beginning of next
year.
"Heads of prefectures and prefecture-level departments will be
subject to economic auditing from January 1 of 2005," said a
spokesman with the Economic Responsibility Auditing Department of
China's National Audit Office (CNAO).
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In China, the administrative level proceeds from villages upward to
towns, counties, prefectures and prefecture-level cities, provinces
and province-level cities to the central government. So far, the
audits have mainly been of heads of counties and officials of lower
ranks.
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In addition, China will audit military officers with the rank of
lieutenant colonel or higher who are in charge of army finances,
beginning next year, according to a regulation issued Wednesday by
the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). The work will be done
by the military auditing system.
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"Overall, the scope of auditing has been greatly expanded. Auditing
medium-rank officials, in particular, will be very effective in
curbing corruption at both the low and high levels," said Liu
Suhua, a researcher with the Research Office of Politics and Law of
the Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central
Committee.
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Liu acknowledged the expansion would increase the costs, but is
worthwhile because of the loopholes it will uncover.
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A report on the auditing work in 2003, delivered by Auditor-general
Li Jinhua to the National People's Congress in June, revealed
misconduct in government departments and key state
enterprises.
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Among them, 41 departments appropriated 1.42 billion yuan (US$171.1
million) using the money to build homes and offices and increase
subsidies to their staff.
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A few officials responsible for the transgressions have been
indicted, some of which have been sentenced to prison terms.
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The CNAO spokesman said the auditing departments maintained close
ties with prosecution and judicial departments. Law-breakers
uncovered by the auditing departments would be immediately
reported.
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She said this cooperation would be further institutionalized and
strengthened.
(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2004)