Han, the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, made the remark in his report on the work of the Supreme People's Procuratorate to the fourth plenary meeting of the ongoing First Session of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC).

In the past five years, he noted, the procuratorial organs in China have supervised and urged police to file up 36,955 cases in accordance with law, approved the arrest of 50,863 suspects and lodged lawsuits against 25,297 suspects, who had previously escaped from the punishment.

Han went on to say that thanks to the enhanced efforts of the procuratorial organs, 466,357 people proven innocent avoided being arrested and another 106,715 innocent people were freed from being sued over the past five years.

The procuratorial organs have lodged disapproval documents concerning a large number of wrong verdicts or set forth procuratorial proposals for correction, he acknowledged, thus safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of relevant parties.

Meanwhile, the procuratorial organs across China have intensified their fight against corruption, malpractice of justice and abuse of power in lawsuit proceedings, and have filed trial against 24,886 staff members of judicial departments, who were suspected of committing criminal offenses, the procurator-general said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2003)