BEIJING - Prosecutors and police are allowed to check and freeze criminal suspects' bonds, shares and funds, according to the draft amendment to China's Criminal Procedural Law.

The draft amendment to the Criminal Procedural Law was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), or China's top legislature, on Monday for a second reading, and it included many revisions based on suggestions offered by lawmakers and the general public.

Article 117 of the original Criminal Procedural Law stipulated that prosecuting bodies and public security authorities are entitled to check and freeze criminal suspects' bank savings and remittances, if necessary.

The draft amendment for the second reading put bonds, shares and funds on the list of assets that prosecutors and police are allowed to check and freeze, given that criminal suspects might have a variety of financial assets.

The Criminal Procedural Law was adopted in 1979 and was revised once, in 1996.

The draft amendment of the Criminal Procedural Law was first read in August 2011 and published online to solicit public opinions from August 30 to September 30.

The draft amendment, submitted for its second reading, also stipulates that protective measures should be taken to ensure the safety of  appraisers, as some lawmakers held that appraisers might also be threatened or face retaliation while performing their duties.

The previous version of the draft only required the protection of witnesses and victims in serious criminal cases.

The draft amendment excludes criminal cases involving foreign criminal suspects from the category whose first trial must be heard by intermediate courts, given that the trial capabilities of local courts have been enhanced.

The draft amendment adds a new clause to allow those who suffer from serious diseases, not able to take care of themselves, pregnant, or caring for infants, to be released on bail.

Criminal suspects who are arrested but are the sole supporters of those who are unable to take care of themselves are allowed to live at home under surveillance, according to the draft amendment.