BEIJING - The government's anti-corruption body will target public welfare institutions, trade associations and intermediary organizations in its graft probe in 2012.

The National Bureau of Corruption Prevention(NBCP) said Friday in its annual agenda that it will set about tackling prominent illegalities and malpractice in those institutions and invite the public to engage with the country's anti-corruption campaign.

Graft in charity organizations came into spotlight and sparked public debate in 2011 after the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) became the focus of a major scandal involving a young woman calling herself "Guo Meimei."

Guo claimed to be a general manager for "Red Cross Commerce," an organization that doesn't exist, according to the RCSC. The woman posted photos detailing her lavish lifestyle online, leading Internet users to speculate that she might have funded her extravagant purchases by embezzling money from the RCSC. Although there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the RCSC, the strong perception of wrongdoing persists among the public.

In its efforts to stem corruption in 2012, the NBCP has pledged it will make public the affairs of government organs, judicial bodies, public institutions as well as companies.