OPINION> Commentary
Officials break graft records
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-10 07:37

Corrupt officials have kept breaking records for taking bribes, says an article in Changjiang Daily. The following is an excerpt:

Huang Songyou, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, has been the highest ranking judicial officer sacked by the central government since the founding of New China.

According to media reports, he was suspected of taking bribes of nearly 400 million yuan ($58.6 million) in an auction-related case. The trend shows that corrupt officials have taken more and more bribes in recent years. When Hu Changing, a former vice-governor of Jiangxi province, was executed on charges of bribery in 2000, we were surprised at the news that he took bribes of more than 5 million yuan.

Soon after, Cheng Kejie, a former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, was sentenced to death, and the bribes he took rose to 40 million yuan. Earlier this year, Jiang Renjie, the vice-mayor of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was reported to have received bribes of over 100 million yuan, reaching a record high.

Then came the shocking case of Huang Songyou, who took the total of bribes to a new high. The exposure of the rising amount of bribes shows the government's determination to fight against corruption.

Also, the rampant spread of corruption in recent years has in fact helped double people's anticipations about the big size of the money involved in a corruption case. The nerves of the people are getting tougher than before so that they would not be easily shocked.

(China Daily 11/10/2008 page4)