New Legal Guidelines Set Clearer Criteria for Punishments in Graft Cases

(Beijing) – A new set of legal guidelines for judges and prosecutors handling graft trials have revised the minimum threshold for cases that qualify for criminal prosecution and clarified where capital punishment can be used, a move legal experts say will reduce confusion in courts.

The document released by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the prosecutor's office, on April 18 said that defendants found guilty of embezzling funds or accepting bribes worth more than 3 million yuan, or about US$ 460,000, will receive the death penalty. Previously, officials convicted of taking bribes worth 100,000 yuan or more could be sentenced to death.