Corruption prosecution a new high

Prosecutors considerably up-scaled investigations of major and serious job-related crimes during the first five months of the year, the country's top prosecutor said yesterday.

The numbers of major cases, each of which involves 50,000 yuan ($7,288) or more in bribes and 100,000 yuan or more in embezzlement, and of serious cases involving county- and higher- level officials have increased by 14.5 and 9.2 percent respectively year-on-year.

During this period, 16,725 job-related crimes - up 8.3 percent - involving 20,294 people - up 9.6 percent year-on-year - have been investigated in procuratorates nationwide, Cao Jianming, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said.