BEIJING – China’s extensive anti-graft campaign resulted in a record number of corruption probes last year, the country’s top prosecutor has told the National People’s Congress, the country’s legislative body.
Some 8,200 officials were investigated for offering bribes last year, a rise of 5 per cent from 7,800 in 2014. However, the pace of investigations appeared to be slowing after a 37.8 per cent jump in corruption cases in 2013.
While many of those caught up in the crackdown are lower-level officials, 41 former officials at the ministerial level or above were investigated last year, up from 28 in 2014.
“We must continue to go after both tigers and flies,” Cao Jianming, head of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate told lawmakers. “We have to count on both prevention and punishment,” he said.
China’s courts handled 34,000 corruption cases last year involving 49,000 people, which resulted in 2,500 being sentenced, said Zhou Qiang, head of the Supreme People’s Court.
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