BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China's Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) plans to amend the criteria that constitutes a "major case" of power abuse or dereliction of duty to ensure guilty officials are punished accordingly, a prosecutor said on Thursday.
Song Hansong, deputy director of the work-related crime department of the SPP, said current standards, set in 2001, were no longer adequate in combating official corruption and they do not take into account China's rapid economic growth in recent years.
Cases involving an official abusing his position which cause a direct economic loss of more than one million yuan and the dereliction of duty cases which cause a direct economic loss of more than two million yuan are considered "major cases", according to current standards.
"However, it has become increasingly common to see official crimes which have cause an economic loss of more than 100 million yuan," Song said.
As the standards fall behind the current economic climate, it has become difficult for the prosecuting organs to define major official crime cases and impose penalties, leaving room for officials to apply for leniency.
"To further clarify the standard will help the prosecuting organs target major cases more effectively, force local governments to realize the seriousness of corruption and prevent officials from escaping proper punishment," Song said.
A power abuse case is also defined as "major" when it leads to the death of at least five people and a major case of dereliction of duty is defined as causing the death of at least seven people.
Chinese prosecutors investigated 1,383 serious accidents in the workplace last year but only 629 government employees were prosecuted and only 249 were punished.
Of the 249 officials, 131 were exempted from criminal sanctions,107 were put on probation, two were found not guilty, leaving only nine to be given jail sentences.
Song said earlier this year that penalties meted out for dereliction of duty and abuse of power by officials involved in serious workplace accidents had been "too lenient" as a result of sympathy from local governments.
Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration received the death penalty on graft charges and seven years in prison for dereliction of duty.
The consequences of Zheng's dereliction of duty, however, had proved extremely serious. Six types of medicine approved by the administration during his tenure were fake. Some pharmaceutical companies used false documents to apply for approvals, the court heard.
The SPP on Wednesday sent two prosecutors to join a local prosecution team in investigating official negligence behind the brick kiln forced labor scandal in northern Shanxi Province.
Two labor watchdog officers in Yongji city of Shanxi have been detained for abuse of power and dereliction of duty by local police.
The forced labor scandal hit the headlines after a letter was posted on the Internet earlier this month by more than 400 parents in central Henan Province saying their missing children had been sold to the small brick kilns as slave workers and asking for help.
Xia Xueluan, a sociology professor with Peking University, said laws and regulations should be drafted and improved to ensure the basic rights of workers and punish dereliction of duty by government departments.
"Some officials, bought off by illegal brick kiln owners, who are usually powerful and wealthy, tend to harbor them and turn a blind eye to their vicious conduct," he said, noting that exposure of this case should be a warning to them.
