10 judges quizzed in bribes inquiry

Ten county-level court judges in Liaoning province are being investigated on suspicion of dereliction of duty and taking bribes, according to provincial prosecutors.

The 10 judges, from the court in Qingyuan Manchu autonomous county in Fushun, were questioned one after another between May and July, and the provincial people's procuratorate said most of them are suspected of accepting bribes, perverting the law, abusing their power and rendering illegal verdicts.

The 10 judicial officers - including three deputy presidents, five chief judges, one assistant chief judge and the director of the court's enforcement department - were reported by residents, the prosecuting authority said, adding that it had approved the arrest of five of them and confirming that one of the deputy presidents is still at large.