95% of official misconduct cases involve bribery, corruption or embezzlement

Defendants in more than 95 percent of official misconduct cases heard by a Beijing court over the past two decades were charged with bribery, corruption or embezzlement, according to a report released Wednesday.

The anti-graft report, issued by the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court, looked at cases heard since 1995, when it was established, with the aim of strengthening the fight against corruption and giving a warning to officials.

The report said the court has concluded 1,802 official misconduct cases, of which 1,724 — or 95.7 percent — involved charges of bribery, corruption or embezzlement.

Half the defendants were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison, while the amount of money involved in more than 46 percent of cases exceeded 1 million yuan ($143,548), it said.

The court in western Beijing, where many government departments, colleges and financial institutions are located, has heard several high-profile cases involving officials at ministerial level or above.

It sentenced Cheng Kejie, former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, to death for bribery in 2000. Cheng was the highest-level official given the death penalty for corruption since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

In 2007, the court sentenced to death Zheng Xiaoyu, former director of the China Food and Drug Administration, for accepting 6.49 million yuan in bribes and dereliction of duty.

The nation's central leadership has stepped up the fight against corrupt officials in recent years. The court said it would continue to strictly punish people convicted in such cases, and explain related laws and the negative effects of such crimes through its rulings.