The top legislature began to deliberate a draft law amendment on
Friday that would allow banking supervisory bodies to investigate
non-financial institutions and individuals.
The draft amendment to the law on banking regulation and
supervision was submitted to the 24th session of the Standing
Committee of the 10th National People's Congress for the first
reading.
It is designed to further enhance the supervision over China's
banking sector. The current law, which came into effect in 2004,
allows China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) and its
subsidiaries to monitor, investigate and gather information only
from financial institutions.
But CBRC Chairman Liu Mingkang believes the current law fails to
enable the banking watchdogs to effectively crack down on illegal
practices in the banking sector.
He said many cases are masterminded by bank insiders in
collusion with outside institutions and individuals that banking
supervisory bodies have no legal power to investigate.
The CBRC received 76 complaints about obstructions to
investigations from its subsidiaries in 2005.
(Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2006)