Lost case file investigation shows how seriously it is being treated

ON TUESDAY, the top disciplinary, supervisory, procuratorate and public security authorities started a joint investigation into the allegation that the supreme court lost case documents related to a coal mine dispute, which was exposed late last month. Beijing News comments:

At first, the Supreme People's Court denied the evidence, saying the allegation was a rumor without any evidence to back it up. However, just two days after it denied the charge, the top judicial authority, which has rarely been in the eye of a public opinion storm as a defendant, announced it had initiated an investigation into the case, providing tacit confirmation of the loss of the documents.

Reportedly, the missing legal documents all relate to the second hearing of a coal mine exploitation rights dispute between the State-owned Xi'an Geological Mineral Exploitation and Development Institute and a private company in Yulin, Shaanxi province. The coal mine has coal reserves of about 1.9 billion tons, worth about 380 billion yuan ($56 billion).