Shanghai prosecutors reported 446 bribery and corruption cases
last year, involving 495 officials.
The number of cases handled in 2006 increased by 44 compared
with 2005, the Shanghai People's Prosecutors' Office said
yesterday.
Prosecutors also reported 219 commercial bribery cases involving
civil servants last year, a 6.8 percent rise from 2005.
In 2006, 83.04 million yuan (US$10.38 million) in illicit cash
was recovered.
A newly established system enabling individuals and local
companies to inquire into archives of those who have been punished
for offering bribes will help crack down on such cases, prosecutors
revealed yesterday.
Breakthrough
Set up early last year, the system accepted public applications
to inquire into 210 companies and 74 individuals.
"A foreign company came to make inquiries about its distributor,
and found it had a record of offering bribes before," said Zou
Chuanji, the spokesman for the office. "The company ended the
agreement with its distributor soon after that."
Prosecutors said the system had been set up in other cities and
will be spread around the country later.
At yesterday's conference, prosecutors released three case
details.
These included a first: Prosecutors charged a city official with
hiding overseas banking accounts. Prosecutors said they found 3.44
million yuan worth of foreign currency in the overseas accounts of
Zhang Weimin, a director with the Jiading branch of Shanghai
Tobacco Administration.
They also found 13 million yuan worth of suspect property.
Zhang was charged with taking bribes and embezzlement, and
jailed for 20 years late last year, prosecutors said.
(Shanghai Daily January 23, 2007)