Four officials of the blood supply center of Dazhou City, Sichuan Province in southwest China, have been detained for embezzlement, according to the city's procuratorate.

The initial investigations have shown that the four people embezzled huge sums of blood sales money between 1998 and 2003, according to the procuratorate, giving no specific figure on how much money they illegally gained. The four officials were Ren Weiguo, center director, Ren Ximin and Chen Hong, both deputy directors, and Yu Qiong, finance head of the center.

The procuratorate accused them of collaborating and embezzling public money from blood sales. The procuratorate said it also found Yu took a "huge amount" of bribes from contractors in construction projects of the center's main building and the office building of the blood supply station in Kaijiang County.

Further investigations were being undertaken, according to the procuratorate.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2004)