Prosecutors to get tougher with financial, environmental, poverty-relief crime

BEIJING - Over the next three years, Chinese prosecutors will get tougher on financial and environmental crime as well as crime in poverty-relief efforts, especially corruption, Deputy Procurator-General Tong Jianming said Monday at a news briefing.

Tong said the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) has issued a circular to provide judicial support for the country's "three tough battles," namely to forestall and defuse major risks, carry out targeted poverty alleviation, and control pollution.

Financial crime, illegal fund-raising, fraud, online pyramid schemes and campus loans, among others, will be targeted. Financial personnel who engage in insider trading, abuse power for profits, and "big crocodiles" who pull strings in the market will be severely punished.

Crime occurring in poverty relief cases will be targeted, including all forms of embezzlement and theft of relief funds. Village gangs and their protectors will be dealt with.

Prosecutors will also focus on pollution crime, including illegal disposal of toxic materials, excessive emissions. and negligence of duty.

Tong asked the prosecutors to study the boundaries of the law to separate economic disputes from economic crimes, financial innovations from financial crimes, and legitimate financing from illegal fund-raising.

The principles of the Constitution and laws should be upheld and applied equally to all forms of economic ownership, Tong said, adding the rights and interests of companies should be protected.