Anti-corruption war targets judge-lawyer deals
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-06-04 08:57

China's top judge Xiao Yang and Minister of Justice Zhang Fusen on Thursday jointly demanded a crackdown on corruption in the relationship between judges and lawyers in a bid to safeguard judicial justice.

Speaking at a video telephone conference held in Beijing to urge judges and lawyers nationwide to practice a series of rules for regulating their relationship, Xiao Yang said a justifiable relationship between judges and lawyers is of great importance to the country's judicial justice. However, some unlawful relationships between judges and lawyers have emerged.

"Some judges accepted bribes from litigants and lawyers behind the scenes. Some exerted power to introduce business to lawyers," Xiao pointed out.

Zhang said at the conference that although most of China's 100,000 professional lawyers are good, some lawyers still depended on taking bribes to win lawsuits. It severely damaged judicial justice.

Xiao said the big income gap between Chinese judges and lawyers makes corruption easier to happen, warning judges at all levels that one case of corruption may damage their whole career prospect.

"Therefore, judges should accurately and prudently exert their powers," he said.

He also urged courts at all levels to try their best to improve working and living conditions for judges so that they could better resist the lure of money and interests.

He said severe punishment will be given to those judges who still broke rules. He also welcomed supervision from lawyers and society, asking them to report any judges' improper behavior.

Zhang required the country's lawyers to consciously obey the rules for establishment of a justifiable relationship between judges and lawyers, which was announced to the public this March.

He also welcomed supervision from society, and demanded lawyer associations nationwide to carefully deal with all cases reported by the general public on lawyer's improper conduct with judges.