Officials protected 'majority of gangs'

Chongqing High People's Court says total of 24 officials involved

BEIJING - More than half of the gangs busted in the crackdown in Chongqing municipality last year were protected by government officials, the Chongqing High People's Court said in a report released on Thursday.

Twenty-four government officials are either under investigation or face prosecution for cover-ups and conniving with mafia-style gangs, said the report, which included an analysis of the 29 cases handled by the municipality's court last year.