Breach-of-duty crimes on the rise in China: official

BEIJING -- China's procuratorates filed 34,326 cases regarding investigations of crimes involving the abuse of power in 2012, a 5.4-percent rise year on year, the deputy procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate said Monday.

Qiu Xueqiang said 47,338 people were investigated in 2012, 6.4 percent more than in 2011, adding that almost 8.8 billion yuan ($1.4 billion?) in economic losses caused by their crimes has been retrieved.

2,569 officials above the county level were investigated in 2012, including 179 bureau-level and 5 ministerial-level officials, said Qiu, adding that the investigation of former Chongqing Communist Party of China (CPC) chief Bo Xilai, former railway minister Liu Zhijun, former Chongqing vice mayor Wang Lijun and other high-level officials have demonstrated China's resolution to fight corruption.

Qiu said last year witnessed a 9.8-percent rise in crimes involving breach of duty compared to 2011. The Supreme People's Procuratorate has coordinated with the Supreme People's Court and other departments to improve related investigations, he said.

In the meantime, procuratorates have strictly implemented the newly -amended Criminal Procedure Law that was put into effect on January 1, paying more attention to suspects' litigation rights and lawyers' legal practice rights and videotaping interrogation procedures, Qiu said.

Qiu said the procuratorates will focus on investigating major cases that could harm the public's interests.