Chinese procuratorates at various levels investigated 1,740 government officials in 1,522 cases of dereliction of duty related to violation of the order of the market economy from August to November in 2005.

The figures were disclosed by Wang Zhenchuan, vice procurator-general of China's Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) at a national meeting on anti-dereliction of duty. He added that the cases caused 2 billion yuan of direct economic losses.

The SPP launched a special campaign to crack down on government officials' dereliction of duty which severely affected economic development and caused severe losses for citizens, in July 2005.

In the campaign, investigation of 21 major cases topped the work agenda of the procuratorates at various levels, including the coal mine flooding accident in Xingning county of south China's Guangdong Province, the coal mine explosion accident and its fatalities cover-up scandal in Ningwu County of north China's Shanxi Province, and the cases of inferior-quality fertilizer sales in Huai'an City of east China's Jiangsu Province.

The SPP has taken measures to fight dereliction of duty, including setting up anti-dereliction of duty organs in procuratorates of various levels.

"The country's prosecuting bodies have for long lacked professionals specialized in investigating dereliction of duty. To set up anti-dereliction of duty bureaus in prosecuting bodies at different levels will recruit more professionals to fight against dereliction of duty," said a SPP source.

He said the country's prefecture-level and county-level procuratorates would all have anti-dereliction of duty bureaus by June this year.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2006)