Heavier punishment urged for civil servants' wrongdoings

The country's chief prosecutor yesterday called for stiffer penalties for civil servants found guilty of misconduct or abuse of power, describing current punishments as "too lenient".

"Lenient penalties in such cases are very common, which fails to punish guilty officials and warn others," Cao Jianming, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, told the National People's Congress Standing Committee yesterday.

Most civil servants convicted of job-related crimes from 2005 to this June were exempt from criminal punishments or received penalties with a reprieve, he said.