Draft amendment targets bribe-givers

People who offer bribes will face severe punishment according to a draft amendment to the Criminal Law, which was submitted to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for review on Tuesday.

To strengthen the fight against corruption, the draft specifies six circumstances in which bribe-givers should be severely punished, such as offering bribes on repeated occasions or to multiple people.

"Amending the law means meeting new demands in the fight against corruption," Shen Chunyao, head of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said while explaining the draft to lawmakers on Tuesday.

He confirmed that the number of cases involving those who give bribes is much smaller than the number involving those who accept them, adding that the proportion of bribe-givers not held criminally liable is too high.

In other words, punishment is soft, which is not helpful in fighting bribery, he said.

"Therefore, it's necessary to revise the law by clarifying circumstances in which bribe-givers should be heavily penalized," he added.

In addition, the draft also highlights the importance of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of private companies, in a bid to meet the central leadership's drive to promote the development of private companies.

It added that employees of private companies, who intentionally harm company interests causing severe financial loss, should also be held criminally liable.