Chinese prosecutors told to be self-disciplined

A Chinese official said Wednesday that prosecutors should be self-disciplined and not infringe upon the public interests.

Mo Wenxiu, a disciplinary official at the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said dinner invitations or gifts offered to prosecutors should be strictly prohibited.

Management of official vehicles should be improved so as to prevent traffic accidents caused by prosecutors who break road rules, Mo said.

"Private coffer" was banned and prosecutors were not allowed to act beyond their authority to handle cases, Mo said.

China's judicial authorities have vowed to clean up the departments at all levels after Huang Songyou, former vice president of the Supreme People's Court, was sentenced on Jan. 19 to life imprisonment for taking bribes and embezzlement.

Huang was convicted of taking more than 3.9 million yuan (about 574,000 U.S. dollars) of bribes from 2005 to 2008.

Last year, nearly 800 court officials were punished for violating laws.

Prosecutor-General Cao Jianming said earlier this month that prosecutors investigated more than 2,700 judiciary workers suspected of graft and malpractice for personal gains last year.

Cao said the authority would "never relax its efforts" in crack down on judicial corruption.

Source: Xinhua