China tackled 17,084 commercial bribery cases from August 2005 to the end of 2006, involving more than 4.5 billion yuan (US$577 million).

The information was released on Thursday by Li Yubin, deputy director of the leading group on combating commercial bribery under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Li said that more than 2.6 million enterprises and governmental departments have conducted self-inspection activities, recovering 417 million yuan (US$53.46 million) of illegal earnings since China started the campaign tackling cases of commercial corruption or commercial bribery.

"Issues concerning common people's immediate interests and those disturbing market order have been put as top concern in the campaign," said Li, though admitting that in some areas, the commercial bribery remains serious.

He said campaign will focus on punishment on officials who take bribes by making use of their positions. China will also push forward transparency of government affairs.

Those enterprises and individuals involving in commercial bribery will be punished severely and included in the blacklist, Li added.

Li also reported 20 commercial bribery cases tackled in the campaign which include former president of China Construction Bank (CCB), Zhang Enzhao, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2006, for taking bribes totaling 4.2 million yuan (US$538,000).

Liu Lianlian, former vice director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Hainan Province, was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking bribes totaling 4 million yuan (US$513,000), and possession of a huge unidentified property of about US$2.5 million.

Fang Ji, former head of Xinhui District People's Hospital in Jiangmen, in south China's Guangdong Province, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking 1,639,700 yuan (US$210,000rs) worth of car, house and cash from pharmaceutical companies.

The hospital was also fined for taking 7.85 million yuan (US$1 million) in rebates from pharmaceutical companies, according to a verdict from the Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court.

Kuang Bingwen, former director of Anhui Provincial Bureau of Finance, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment after being convicted of taking bribes of 1.28 million yuan and US$51,000.

Hao Heping, former director of the medical equipment department of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), was sentenced to 15 years in prison for taking bribes.

Xu Fangming, former director of the finance department of China's Ministry of Finance, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for taking bribes of 2.15 million yuan.

(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2007)