Over the past five years, a total of 207,103 cases of embezzlement, bribery and other functionary crimes were investigated, Han said in his report on the work of the Supreme People's Procuratorate delivered at the annual session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

Han said that in the past five years, procuratorial organs around the country investigated 5,541 cases of embezzlement, bribery, or misappropriation of public fund (each case involving more than 1 million yuan, or US$121,000), and 12,830 officials at the county level and above.

A number of corrupted ranking officials including Cheng Kejie, Hu Changqing and Li Jizhou were prosecuted according to law, in addition to 84,395 people from state-owned enterprises involved in embezzlement, taking bribes, misappropriation or illegal possession of state-owned properties.

Han said that the procuratorial organs also prosecuted 554 government employees who acted as backing or shield for criminal gangs and other evil forces. They also investigated 6,440 cases involving those who corrupted government functionaries with bribes in pursuit of illegitimate interests.

Statistics show that since 2000, procuratorial and public security organs have taken joint actions and arrested 5,115 fugitives of functionary crimes, retrieving economic losses exceeding 22 billion yuan (US$2.66 billion).

He said that the Supreme People's Procuratorate has always paid great attention to the prevention of functionary crimes, and most local procuratorates have set up special institutions for this purpose.

Over the past few years, procuratorial organs at all levels have submitted 27 draft regulations on checking functionary crimes to local standing committees of the NPC for approval.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2003)