China's disciplinary watchdog urged officials who have traded power for money to confess their misconduct before the end of June or else face severe punishment when their wrongdoings are discovered.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China issued a new set of regulations targeting official corruption that took effect on May 30.

The government will show leniency to those who confess their wrongdoings by themselves within 30 days, according to a CCDI meeting Friday morning on implementing the regulations.

But those who do not correct their mistakes or violate the regulations after they took effect will be severely punished, according to the meeting.

China has launched successive crackdowns on corruption and CCDI statistics show 97,260 of the CPC's 70 million members were punished for corruption in 2006.

On May 29 this year, Zheng Xiaoyu, former director of China's State Food and Drug Administration, was sentenced to death by a Beijing court. Zheng was convicted of taking bribes and dereliction of duty.

The court said Zheng "sought benefits" for eight pharmaceutical companies by approving their drugs and medical devices during his tenure as China's chief drug and food official from June 1997 to December 2006.

The bribes taken by Zheng, including cash and gifts, were worth more than 6.49 million yuan (about 850,000 U.S. dollars), according to the court. The bribes were given either directly or through his wife and son.

The CCDI reiterated that officials are prohibited from taking advantage of their posts to seek unlawful profits.

Officials are banned from buying commodities such as houses or automobiles at ridiculously low prices from those who ask them for favors. Officials must not accept free gifts of stocks and shares or bribes, the regulations read.

Source: Xinhua