China's top state auditor says the country needs new legislation to ensure corrupt officials are held to account.

Li Jinhua, auditor-general of the National Audit Office (NAO), said in an on-line interview that "audit storms", the term for frequent campaigns, were failing to eradicate corruption.

"We want to promote a more open and transparent auditing system so as to strengthen the country's legal system construction," Li said.

China's audit storms have identified seven billion yuan (US$910 million) embezzled by central government departments and 37 billion yuan misappropriated.

However, public approval quickly turned to disappointment as accounting irregularities repeatedly occurred in government agencies year after year and only 94 people were found to be involved in the cases, he said.

Li pointed out China's top legislature and central government should improve the accountability system to hold corrupt officials responsible for their misconduct or crimes.

"The problems we have raised during auditing are getting more and more attention by central government departments," he said.

For example, top officials of the Ministry of Communications had held almost ten meetings working on the road fee collection issue, Li said.

The NAO found 158 illegitimate toll stations on 100 roads, which had collected 14.9 billion yuan. Meanwhile, 35 road toll services collected fees for so long that they had covered construction costs ten times over.

The Ministry of Communications has filed four rectification reports to the State Council on abolishing the toll stations and local authorities had been studying how to set a proper charging period.

"Apart from finding and disclosing misconduct, we are also focusing on government efficiency," Li said. "They have to realize that they should not embezzle government funds, but also have to reduce their costs.

"We still have a long way to go," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26, 2007)