Top Prosecutor Loosens Noose on Scientists Being Investigated for Graft

(Beijing) – Police should not arrest or detain scientists in-charge of "key research and development projects," who are being investigated for corruption, until they are formally charged by a state attorney, the country's top prosecutor's office said in a document released on July 13.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate, however, did not specify what qualifies as a "key R&D project" in its guidelines. But it said, when research personnel in-charge of important scientific initiatives are detained for questioning or arrested, their employers should be notified immediately to ensure research programs are not disrupted.