China's Supreme Court urges judges to behave
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China's judges have been forbidden to accept dinner invitations or gifts from parties involved in lawsuits they are handling, according to two behavior codes the top court issued on Wednesday.
Judges should also stay away from seminars and forums organized by institutes, law firms or agents involved in lawsuits they are judging, the new rules say.
The regulations released by the Supreme People's Court are detailed in the Code of Conduct for Judges and the Code of Ethics for Judges.
The codes, which are amendments to policies adopted respectively in 2005 and 2001, include more specific conduct requirements for judges inside and outside of the courthouse.
Yu Housen, deputy director of the top court's political department, said some judges may consciously or unconsciously leak information about specific cases at seminars and forums. "That may lead to injustice and sometimes corruption," he said.
The codes also bar judges from joining for-profit entities and serving as legal advisers of enterprises or organizations.
In addition, judges may not visit entertainment venues, such as karaoke bars, in their robes or in court cars.
Other new no-nos include wearing heavy makeup or flamboyant fashion accessories in court.
Judges seeking to travel abroad to visit relatives or friends, or for tourism, must get approval from the courts and provide complete itineraries.
In addition, judges must receive court approval before accepting media interviews. Supreme People's Court spokesman Sun Jungong said this will benefit both sides by standardizing media interview procedures.
"These are not just suggestions but rather mandatory rules," Yu said. "Those who disobey will receive punishments, ranging from warnings to criminal prosecution."
The top court said it welcomes media and the public to supervise judges and report any misconduct or unlawful practices through jubao.court.gov.cn, a Supreme People's Court website launched to receive online reports.
The country's legal system has been rocked by a string of corruption scandals in recent years amid growing public complaints.
Former Supreme People's Court Vice-President Huang Songyou received a life sentence on Jan 19 for accepting bribes and embezzlement. He was convicted of taking more than 3.9 million yuan ($574,000) in bribes from 2005 until 2008.
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