China's procuratorial departments should lessen their administrative function and increase their role as judicial bodies as they undergo reform, Deputy Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate Liang Guoqing said Sunday.
Deputy Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate Liang Guoqing urged further reform of the procuratorial system when addressing a national conference attended by high-level prosecutors from all over the country.
He called on the procuratorial departments to draw experience from the reform of the past years and speed up planning of the reform for the next five years.
Chinese laws stipulate that the procuratorial departments independently assume the duty of prosecution. Nevertheless, they also largely play an administrative role for historic reasons.
Liang said the reform should be based on the concept of the procuratorial system functioning as a special judicial supervision body as stipulated by the constitution. He stressed its fundamental function as a judicial body rather than an administrative body. The procuratorial departments should do their work in line with judicial rules, Liang said, stressing that a framework should be laid down to ensure the departments assume their prosecution role justly and independently, to perfect the socialist prosecution system with Chinese characteristics.
He said the overall quality of prosecutors and their work efficiency should be improved and the procuratorial departments should enhance the role of supervision, so as to help maintain justice in the whole society.
Since procuratorial reform is a long-term job, it is of necessity to establish a just and efficient operation mechanism with clear responsibilities and orderly supervision, Liang said.
The prosecutor-general listed some specific working systems and mechanisms that should be perfected imminently in line with judicial rules, such as public prosecution, detection and prevention of professional crimes, and qualification for becoming a prosecutor.
The procuratorial reform is an integral part of the political and judicial reform of the country, which should be pushed forward steadily with unified planning, Liang said.
In recent years, the procuratorial departments in China has eagerly pursued reform to better implement the national drive of "running state affairs according to law".
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2003)
