Graft cases in China jump by one third last year

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Mar 13, 2017 06:00 am

BEIJING The number of corruption cases heard by Chinese courts jumped by about one third last year, as the country's top prosecutor vowed yesterday that there would be no let up in China's campaign against deep-seated graft.

Since assuming office more than four years ago, President Xi Jinping has waged war on corruption, warning, like others before him, that the problem is so bad it could affect the ruling Communist Party's grip on power.

Dozens of senior figures have been jailed for corruption and abusing their positions, including once-powerful domestic security chief, Zhou Yongkang.

In an annual report to China's largely rubber-stamp parliament, chief justice Zhou Qiang said Chinese courts last year heard 45,000 graft cases involving 63,000 people, though he did not say how many had been convicted or provide a comparison. Compared with figures he gave in last year's report though, that represents about a one-third rise for both on 2015. - REUTERS