China streamlines railway procuratorate system

BEIJING - China's Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced Monday that all 76 railway transport procuratorates nationwide have been put under a unified administration of the justice system.

After the completion of a personnel and financial management power transfer, the railway procuratorates are now directly administered by provincial or municipal procuratorate authorities, the SPP statement said.

Railway transport procuratorates, designed to deal with procuratorial work regarding to crimes on trains and violations of the country's railway-related special laws, were previously under the dual administration of both the procuratorate system and the railway authorities.

While higher-level procuratorates lead the procuratorial work of such agencies, the personnel and financial affairs of these procuratorates were managed by the railway authorities.

China in July 2009 ordered a complete separation of the procuratorates from the industry by transferring the power of personnel and financial management of such agencies to the country's justice authorities.

After the transfer, the jurisdiction, working system and procuratorial procedures of these procuratorates may remain unchanged for the time being, the SPP statement said.

In addition to railway procuratorates, China now has another special type of procuratorates -- military procuratorates.