China's Ministry of Justice is to launch an extensive investigation of the employment of government cadres' spouses and children this year in an effort to curb nepotism.

Government officials in leading posts will be ordered to report and register jobs of their spouses and children, and any unfairly preferential job arrangements shall be corrected immediately, the ministry announced on Monday.

The ministry will also intensify supervision so as to prevent cadres' families and relatives from being offered special favors in jobs that benefit them illegally.

Last August, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) issued a regulation prohibiting spouses, children and relatives of cadres to work as subordinate employees in the government or Party unit where the cadre takes a leading post.

The regulation also bans officials working in a government office that controls or supervises any industry or enterprise in which their family members hold shares.

Officials are also prohibited from taking senior posts in the CPC committee, government, court and prosecuting organs of the county and prefecture in which they are born and grew up, according to the regulation.

Checking nepotism is part of the ministry's effort to curb corruption this year, according to sources at a teleconference among justice departments.

The ministry will also target government cadres who take advantage of their posts to buy apartments much cheaper than market prices or occupy houses and cars on "loan".

Cadres who try to seek illicit benefits by gambling or fabricating investment in securities and other financial fields would also be purged, said the ministry.

The ministry would also strengthen investigations into abuse of power, especially the abuse of judicial power.

Efforts would also be focused on cheating in tenders for government-funded projects, selling land at below market prices, investing in the development of mines, as well as concealing, privately sharing, transferring or cheaply selling state capital during the restructuring and reform of state-owned enterprises, the ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2007)