New rules set out for prosecutors

Prosecutors who neglect their duties or conduct malpractice that results in miscarriage of justice or major case defects will face severe punishment, even beyond their time in office, amid a deepening judicial reform designed to ensure justice, the Supreme People's Procuratorate said on Monday.

The top prosecuting department has issued a judicial mandate to further clarify and standardize prosecutors' legal responsibilities and punishments "in a bid to ensure fairness" of the judicial system, SPP spokeswoman Xiao Wei told a news briefing on Monday.

According to the new rules, prosecutors at all levels will assume legal responsibility for the quality of the cases they have handled. The rules will ensure that "justice will be done to the public in every judicial case," the SPP document says.