Wang Minggao, who is well known for his stance against governmental and official corruption is considering the abolition of the death sentence for convicted officials, reports the Southern Week, on June 15.

Smuggling kingpin Lai Changxing, one of China's most wanted fugitives, gestures while talking to media outside his residence in Vancouver, British Columbia June 1, 2006. A Canadian judge ruled on Thursday to delay the planned deportation of Lai.[Reuters]

"According to data collected over the past decade, it is not pragmatic to execute officials who are convicted of corruption," the Hunan Province provincial organization deputy director said. He added that it could be a way around extradition refusals from countries to where corrupt officials have fled.

The suggestion came just days after the Canadian Federal Court stayed the deportation of China's most wanted smuggling kingpin Lai Changxing. It is illegal in Canada, which does not have capital punishment, to deport people to countries where they could face possible execution.

According to international jurisdiction laws, countries reserve the right to refuse extradition to persons who may be subjected to punishments not legal under their own systems.

China signed a repatriation deal with Spain on April 29 of this year, which includes a provision that exempts convicted officials who have been sentenced to death from extradition to China. Deals such as this one pose difficulties in tracking down corrupt officials who have fled abroad.

Wang's suggestion is expected to draw criticism from the Chinese public who feel strongly about corrupt officials, says the newspaper.