Legislative efforts to prevent corruption-related crime are underway in Chinese provinces and cities, more than a decade after the nation vowed to forestall such crime.
Sources with the Supreme People's Procuratorate told China Daily that 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are in the middle of drafting regulations on the prevention of corruption.
Such crime mainly comprises graft, dereliction of duty and violations of citizens' rights through abuse of power.
Central China's Hunan Province, East China's city of Wuxi and North China's city of Handan have already adopted relevant regulations, clarifying the duties of judicial departments as well as enterprises and institutions in the prevention of corruption-related crime.
Though details on punishment have not been given, the local regulations make it clear that those who fail to perform their duties to prevent such crimes will be held responsible along with the perpetrators.
"Legislation on the prevention of corruption-related crime is the call of the rule of law and also helps sustain the prevention efforts," said Jing Dali, head of the Corruption-Related Crime Prevention Department of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.
Jing said that a law is needed to address the lack of effective legal procedures and to clearly delineate the responsibilities of parties concerned in the prevention of such crime.
China's top corruption watchdog, the Supreme People's Procuratorate has stepped up its corruption prevention efforts since the late 1990s, and has stressed co-operation with other departments in forestalling such crime.
The local legislation now in process is believed to pave way for a national law on the issue, though such a law is not yet on the national legislators' list.
A week-long publicity campaign was run at the end of last month, during which the nation's prosecutors staged street consultations and handed out leaflets to encourage the public to take an active part in preventing corruption.
"The public can play an important role in the prevention of corruption-related crime because they have a fine grasp of the truth and are aware of their right of supervision over government officials,'' said Guo Xingzu, with Beijing's Dongcheng District Procuratorate.
Official figures show tips from the public provide about 80 per cent of the clues for cases dealt with by the nation's prosecutors.
(China Daily July 3, 2002)
