(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-26 20:48

China's National Audit Office said on Wednesday that it had found 6.87 billion yuan (937 million U.S. dollars) worth of unauthorized use of public funds by central government agencies during the first 11 months of 2007.

The office uncovered these abuses after auditing 56 ministerial-level departments and 434 of their affiliates, according to the national audit conference held in Beijing.

A total 4.2 billion yuan had been recovered by the end of October. The office also helped recover 7.16 billion yuan that would either have been embezzled or concealed from a variety of uses: subsidies to agriculture and nine-year compulsory education in rural regions, disaster relief,  social insurance and pension funds, and land sale revenues.

Li Jinhua, head of the office, said: "The ministerial-level departments took immediate and effective action to rectify the financial abuses following the order from the State Council."

He continued: "(We) should pay much attention to rectification as well as auditing work."

The office audited more than 25,000 officials nationwide during the 11-month period, finding 3.6 billion yuan in financial abuses and remanding 304 officials to prosecutors and Communist Party disciplinary agencies.

More than 90,000 companies and public institutions were audited and 929 cases involving illegal use of funds were handed over to prosecutors and Party disciplinary agencies.

Over the past five years, the office has audited 592,000 companies and public institutions and averted losses of 191.9 billion yuan. During that time, it has also sent 4,370 people involved in 2,847 cases to prosecutors and another 7,672 people involved in 5,509 cases to Party disciplinary agencies.

Li was elected a member of the United Nations Board of Auditors in November, becoming the first Chinese national to hold the position, which has a six-year term.