A total of 18.96 billion yuan (US$2.3 billion) were retrieved through investigation and prosecution of corruption and bribery cases from 2001 to July this year.

Procuratorial departments at various levels placed more than 150,000 cases of corruption and bribery on file, involving more than 170,000 people, according to sources with a national anti-corruption and bribery conference held Thursday in Changchun, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province.

Procuratorial departments at all levels have uncovered more major cases and improved efficiency in recent years, said Jia Chunwang, procurator-general of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate.

However, Jia noted that corruption and bribery cases are involving a greater sum of money and covering more fields, especially in some monopolistic and fund-intensive industries.

Meanwhile, more transnational and transregional crimes are taking place and criminals are absconding with illicit money, he added.

Therefore, Jia urged procuratorial departments to strengthen supervision and enhance coordination.

(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2005)