Han Zhubin, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, delivered the Report on the Work of the Supreme People's Procuratorate at the ongoing First Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) Tuesday morning. Han reviewed the work of the Supreme People's Procuratorate in the past five years and set forth targets and objectives in its future work.

Chinese Procuratorates Crack down on Crimes Threatening State Security

Chinese procuratorial organs in the last five years gave priority to cracking down on crimes that posed a threat to state security, said Han Zhubin

Han said that in the five years, procuratorial organs around the country approved the arrest of 3,402 criminal suspects and prosecuted 3,550 on charge of crimes threatening state security.

The procuratorial organs always give top priority to safeguarding social stability and striking hard against major criminal activities such as explosion, murder and arson conducted by terrorist forces, ethnic separatist forces and religious extremist forces, said Han.

He said that the procuratorial organs approved the arrest of and prosecuted a number of criminal suspects accused of organizingand utilizing cult organizations like the Falun Gong cult to sabotage the execution of laws, in strict accordance with relevant resolutions of the NPC Standing Committee.

In the past five years, Chinese procuratorates approved the arrest of a total of 3,601,357 criminal suspects and prosecuted 3,666,142, Han said.

Chinese Procuratorates Combat Grave Crimes

Chinese procuratorial organs fought sternly against grave crimes that disrupted social order and undermine the market economic order over the past five years, said Han Zhubin.

Han said that public prosecutors participated actively in concentrated or special campaigns to crack down on criminal rings, gun- and explosive-related crimes, drug-related crimes, and women-and child-trafficking.

In the last five years, procuratorial organs cross China approved the arrest of 411,379 criminal suspects involved in organized crimes of underworld in nature and other crimes like explosion, murder, rape, kidnapping and robbery, and prosecuted 410,511, Han said.

The procuratorial organs also played a role in rectifying and regularizing the market economic order, by punishing smuggling, financial frauds, tax evasion, dodge of foreign exchange control and infringement of intellectual property rights, Han said. In the past five years, they approved the arrest of 116,932 suspects implicated in these kinds of crimes and prosecuted 106,910.

Procuratorial Organs Actively Fight Against Corruption

Han Zhubin said that China's procuratorial organs are firmly against corruption and earnestly perform their duty of investigating functionary crimes.

Over the past five years, a total of 207,103 cases of embezzlement, bribery and other functionary crimes were investigated, said Han.

Han said that in the past five years, procuratorial organs around the country investigated 5,541 cases of embezzlement, bribery, or misappropriation of public fund (each case involving more than 1 million yuan, or US$121,000), and 12,830 officials at the county level and above.

A number of corrupted ranking officials including Cheng Kejie, Hu Changqing and Li Jizhou were prosecuted according to law, in addition to 84,395 people from state-owned enterprises involved inembezzlement, taking bribes, misappropriation or illegal possession of state-owned properties.

Han said that the procuratorial organs also prosecuted 554 government employees who acted as backing or shield for criminal gangs and other evil forces. They also investigated 6,440 cases involving those who corrupted government functionaries with bribes in pursuit of illegitimate interests.

Statistics show that since 2000, procuratorial and public security organs have taken joint actions and arrested 5,115 fugitives of functionary crimes, retrieving economic losses exceeding 22 billion yuan (US$2.66 billion).

He said that the Supreme People's Procuratorate has always paid great attention to the prevention of functionary crimes, and most local procuratorates have set up special institutions for this purpose.

Over the past few years, procuratorial organs at all levels have submitted 27 draft regulations on checking functionary crimes to local standing committees of the NPC for approval.

Procuratorial Organs Enhance Supervision on Lawsuits

China's procuratorial organs have, in the past five years, stepped up supervision on detection and judgment of criminal cases, on prosecution of verdicts as well as on lawsuit proceedings of civil and administrative cases, Han Zhubin said.

In the past five years, he noted, the procuratorial organs in China have supervised and urged police to file up 36,955 cases in accordance with law, approved the arrest of 50,863 suspects and lodged lawsuits against 25,297 suspects, who had previously escaped from the punishment.

Han went on to say that thanks to the enhanced efforts of the procuratorial organs, 466,357 people proven innocent avoided being arrested and another 106,715 innocent people were freed from being sued over the past five years.

The procuratorial organs have lodged disapproval documents concerning a large number of wrong verdicts or set forth procuratorial proposals for correction, he acknowledged, thus safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of relevant parties.

Meanwhile, the procuratorial organs across China have intensified their fight against corruption, malpractice of justice and abuse of power in lawsuit proceedings, and have filed trial against 24,886 staff members of judicial departments, who were suspected of committing criminal offenses, the procurator-general said.

(China.org.cn March 11, 2003)