China probed 7 ministerial-level officials for corruption in 2011

Seven ministerial-level officials were investigated for suspected embezzlement or bribery in China last year, according to the nation's procurator-general on Sunday.

Prosecutors nationwide investigated a total of 2,524 officials above the county head level, with 198 at the prefectural level and seven at the provincial or ministerial level, said Cao Jianming, the procurator-general, while delivering a work report at the annual session of the national legislature.

The prosecutors took a hard line on civil servants who abuse their power for personal gains or take bribes, investigating 7,366 people in the administrative law enforcement and 2,395 in the judiciary system, said Cao.