From hero to zero in just three years: Such is the price of taking bribes.

Luo Yaoxing, former director of Guangdong Disease Control and Prevention Center's immunity planning institute and a key figure in the fight against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003, has been detained on suspicion of receiving bribes worth over 10 million yuan (US$1.25 million).

Nine other persons from the center have been detained, and in total they have racked up over 22 million yuan (US$2.71 million) in ill-gotten gains. The case is still under investigation.

Luo and his colleagues are among more than 400 bribe takers authorities in Guangdong Province have uncovered during a special campaign against commercial bribery in the first half of this year.

Commercial bribery occurs when a buyer takes a bribe to perform a particular transaction.

"Commercial bribery is still a very serious problem in the province," noted Zhang Xuejun, chief procurator of the province.

"Procuratorial organs across the province will as ever attach importance to such crimes."

"Those in charge of infrastructure construction and land leasing, purchasers of medicines for the health system and governmental procurers are particularly vulnerable to bribery. Procuratorial organs will keep an even closer eye on them," he added.

Official statistics indicate that the procuratorial organs in the province placed on file for investigation 408 cases related to commercial bribery in the January-June period. The cases involve 416 persons.

So far in the first half of this year 10 senior provincial government officials and 70 middle-ranking officials have been removed from their positions for receiving bribes or misappropriating public funds, of which 145 million yuan (US$17.88 million) has been recovered.

Ren Jiantao, a public administration professor with Sun Yat-sen University, said the campaign was needed to root out corruption.

"The province's anti-bribery campaigns will prove a deterrent to government officials and other public servants and help prevent bribery from running riot," he said.

(China Daily July 19, 2006)