Cleaning up the system

Rumors of corrupt judges accepting mon- ey from litigants abound, yet, more often than not, these are dismissed as just that for want of proof.

True, there are quite a number of upright judges doing their jobs steadfastly, but a recent incident at a district court in Weifang, Shandong province has come as a shock. Thanks to video clips released by a litigant recently, the judiciary has been put in a spot. The rumors have now emerged from the shadows.

One clip shows a judge of the court seeking "sponsorship" fee or "case-handling expenses" from the litigant, a businesswoman from Hubei province. In the other, four judges are shown returning the money at the home of the litigant and pleading for leniency after the woman mailed the clips to the judges.