Chinese procuratorates at various levels investigated 1,740
government officials in 1,522 cases of dereliction of duty related
to violation of the order of the market economy from August to
November in 2005.
The figures were disclosed by Wang Zhenchuan, vice
procurator-general of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP)
at a national meeting on anti-dereliction of duty. He added that
the cases caused 2 billion yuan of direct economic losses.
The SPP launched a special campaign to crack down on government
officials' dereliction of duty which severely affected economic
development and caused severe losses for citizens, in July
2005.
In the campaign, investigation of 21 major cases topped the work
agenda of the procuratorates at various levels, including the coal
mine flooding accident in Xingning county of south China's
Guangdong Province, the coal mine explosion accident and its
fatalities cover-up scandal in Ningwu County of north China's
Shanxi Province, and the cases of inferior-quality fertilizer sales
in Huai'an City of east China's Jiangsu Province.
The SPP has taken measures to fight dereliction of duty,
including setting up anti-dereliction of duty organs in
procuratorates of various levels.
"The country's prosecuting bodies have for long lacked
professionals specialized in investigating dereliction of duty. To
set up anti-dereliction of duty bureaus in prosecuting bodies at
different levels will recruit more professionals to fight against
dereliction of duty," said a SPP source.
He said the country's prefecture-level and county-level
procuratorates would all have anti-dereliction of duty bureaus by
June this year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2006)