Fearing corruption, prosecutors are prepared to supervise the 50-billion-yuan relocation of the Shougang Group, said Wang Jianping, vice-president of the Shijingshan District Procuratorate, a local prosecuting organization.

Wang said prosecutor's supervision will help avoid the occurrence of corruption and state assets infringement during the relocation.

The Shougang Group, a major Beijing-based iron and steel producer, has been ordered to phase out smelting operations in Beijing and relocate most of its existing production facilities to Caofeidian in Hebei Province by 2008.

The relocation will cost 50 billion yuan and resettle 60,000 redundant workers.

The Shijingshan District Procuratorate began the Shougang Group crime prevention campaign in 1999 and has spotted and dealt with 55 job-related crimes at the group, Wang said.

The most notorious of the 55 job-related criminals is Sun Junxue, former director of the Shougang Group's trade department, who received 880,000 yuan in bribes.

More than 7,000 cadres in Shougang Group have been under the supervision of local prosecuting organ, so as to avoid them committing job-related crimes, said Wang.

"The relocation of Shougang is a major measure to improve the environmental quality of the capital, adjust its industrial structure and realize comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable economic and social development in the city," Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan said last month.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2005)