China discipline nearly 300 prosecutors for misconduct

A total of 273 prosecutors were disciplined in 2006 for corruption, an official with the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Wednesday.

Twenty seven prosecutors are under criminal investigation, said Shi Shenglong, head of the inspection team which is stationed in the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Shi did not provide the number of prosecutors punished in 2005, but insisted "the cases involving unlawful prosecutors have declined in recent years".

The Supreme People's Procuratorate is a major force in China's campaign against corruption. In the last two months, China's prosecutors have investigated 32,369 cases involving 38,457 officials who were accused of taking bribes or failing to perform their duty.

Shi said prosecutors were playing important roles in the country's bid to punish corrupt officials. " But those prosecutors who bend the law for personal interest, abuse their power and seriously damage the interests of the public, must be removed from their posts," Shi said.

He said prosecutors in leading positions would be monitored closely this year to prevent possible power abuses and other unlawful behavior.

Source: Xinhua