No mooncakes for court officials: top court

Well-packed mooncakes are piled on a stall for sale in a supermarket in Shaoxing city, East China's Zhejiang province on Sept 9, 2012. [Photo/CFP]

BEIJING - China's top court has ordered court officials not to divert public funds to buy mooncakes, gifts or other entertainment for themselves during upcoming holidays.

Public spending on extravagant banquets, travel, entertainment or "other perquisites" will be prohibited during the Mid-autumn Festival and National Day holidays, which fall on September 19 and October 1, respectively, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) said in a circular on Tuesday.

Court officials and police have also been told to reject cash, gift cards, banquets or entertainment offered by parties to lawsuits. Leading officials are asked to set good examples in abiding by the circular and supervising their relatives.

The promotion of clean governance comes amid a wider campaign to stamp out bureaucracy, formalism and lavish spending of public funds, which was launched by the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership in November of last year.

Since the election of the new CPC leadership at the Party congress held last November, a number of bureaucracy-fighting guidelines have been introduced asking CPC officials to reduce pomp, ceremony and bureaucratic visits and meetings.

The SPC circular also requires strict regulation on government car use for private purposes during the upcoming holidays.