CHINA> National
Courts handle over 4 million cases since 2003
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-26 16:59

BEIJING - Chinese courts have handled a total of 4.24 million cases since 2003, an annual increase of 2.75 percent on average, the Supreme People's Court said Sunday.

Wang Shengjun, president of the Supreme People's Court, submitted a report for review to the fifth session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, attended by top legislator Wu Bangguo.

The crack down on criminal activities, ranging from murders to corruption, helped safeguard the national security and social stability, he said, adding that 4.184 million criminals were punished over the past five years.

In his report submitted to the session, Cao Jianming, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said his department had also enhanced supervision over the courts' ruling on criminal cases.

Between January 2003 to August this year, the procuratorial offices of various levels lodged 17,104 appeals for criminal retrial, which helped safeguard judicial justice, he said.