At a two-day national working conference on Party discipline inspection and supervision which closed in Beijing Thursday, Cao Qingze, deputy executive secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, called for enhanced efforts to battle corruption.

He Yong, minister of supervision, said that supervision departments have achieved remarkable progress in anti-corruption work, and have contributed a great deal to the reform and economic development and stability over the past five years.

From 1995 to 1999, the supervision sector dealt with more than 80,000 economic cases and gave Party disciplinary and administrative penalties to about 70,000 persons, he said, adding that the work averted losses of 38.5 billion yuan for the state.

The minister called for enhancing supervision over the implementation of macro-control policies and measures taken by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, cases involving people's rights and interests, and laws and regulations enacted by state administrations.

He stressed the importance of the role of the inspection and supervision over the management and use of state bonds, and the real estate market, the reform of the grain circulation system and the management of social security funds.

He urged related departments to seriously deal with persons responsible for major violations.

(People’s Daily)

(CASE I)

Cheng Kejie Faces Second Trial

The Beijing Higher People's Court will adjudicate Thursday the appeal of Cheng Kejie, a former top Chinese legislator who was sentenced to death earlier, and the result may come out within this month.

A jury and a collegiate panel composed by people from various circles have been formed to hear the trial, a source from the court said.

Cheng, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, was handed a death penalty by the Beijing No.1 Intermediate People's Court July 31 for bribery while serving as chairman of the Guangxi regional government.

Cheng appealed to a supreme court through his lawyer immediately after receiving the sentence in the first trial.

Cheng's lawyer appealed to the court for a reduction in penalty thinking that Cheng had confessed all his bribery activities and returned all illegal earnings.

Li Ping -- Cheng's mistress and accessory, was sentenced to life imprisonment Wednesday by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.

(China Daily)

(CASE II)

Anhui Prosecutes Former Mayor for Taking Bribes

Xiao Zuoxin, a former mayor of Fuyang City in Anhui Province, was prosecuted Thursday at the Hefei Intermediate People's Court for taking bribes.

According to the prosecution, Xiao and his wife Zhou Jimei jointly took bribes of 1.164 million yuan and 50,000 HK dollars.

Meanwhile Xiao is suspected of accepting a bribe of 2,000 US dollars and 23,000 yuan while Zhou, former deputy bureau chief of Fuyang City, is suspected of accepting a bribe of 4.312 million yuan.

Zhou is also accused of involvement in an illegal land sale case yielding profits of 1.039 million yuan.

The couple could not identify the source of 12.23 million yuan that was in their possession.

Xiao and Zhou were detained in January and last November, respectively. Xiao has been expelled from the Communist Party and the civil service.

(Xinhua)