Chinese procuratorates at various levels investigated 43,757 government officials for job-related crimes last year, said Jia Chunwang, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, in Beijing on Wednesday.
  
Among the investigated government employees, 35,031 involved in crimes concerning corruption, bribe-taking and embezzlement of public funds, and 8,726 probed for dereliction of duties and abuse of power.
  
The procuratorates prosecuted 30,788 people involving economic crimes and retrieved about 4 .56 billion yuan (US$555 million) in direct economic losses.
  
Jia said in his report that intensified efforts were made to investigate into job-related crimes in some sectors. A total of 4,414 government officials were investigated for corruption or bribe-taking in road construction, urban reconstruction, medicine purchase and land requisition, and 10,407 employees of state-owned enterprises (SOE) were probed for embezzling public funds during SOE-related reforms.
  
The procuratorates also extend their reaches to 9,476 administrative and judicial personnel for charges of power abuse, dereliction of duties and taking bribes. A total of 2,892 government leading officials were chastised for major malpractice leading to grim traffic, coal mine and environmental pollution accidents, Jia said.  

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2005)