Mainland Sees Jump In Bribery-related Prosecutions

The mainland’s top court and its top prosecutor say there’s been a jump in the number of people being investigated for bribery-related offenses over the past five years.

Delivering his work report to members of the National People’s Congress, the country’s chief prosecutor, Cao Jianming, said over 250,000 people were investigated for corruption-related crimes since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013, up 16.4 percent from the previous five-year period.

Cao specifically named the prosecutions of 120 former senior government officials, including Zhou Yongkang, Sun Zhengcai, Ling Jihua and Su Rong, saying authorities remain committed to fighting both the tigers and the flies.

The Supreme People’s Court, meanwhile, said more than six million people had been convicted over the past five years.

Its Chief Justice Zhou Qiang said judges had put ensuring national security, especially the safety of the regime and the system, first.

He added that courts had stepped up efforts in the “wars” against terrorism, subversion and cults.

Looking ahead, both the top court and top prosecutor said they will "uphold the authority of the central committee of the Communist Party with comrade Xi Jinping at the core and also unify leadership”.

They also told NPC delegates that they are determined to protect national security and social stability.