BEIJING, Jan. 21 -- More than 60 percent of economic corruption cases investigated by Shanghai prosecutors last year were related to state-owned companies, according to Wu Guangyu, director of the Shanghai Prosecutors' Office, who delivered a report to the Shanghai People's Congress yesterday.

    In a separate report to the plenary session, Teng Yilong, director of the Shanghai Higher People's Court, said judges ruled on 331 corruption and malpractice cases last year. The SPC deputies will break into groups to discuss the two reports before voting to accept or reject them tomorrow.

    "We have concentrated our work to investigate severe corruption cases," Wu told some 800 SPC deputies yesterday at Shanghai Exhibition Center.

    He said 355 of the 402 corruption cases his office investigated were severe - defined as involving more than 50,000 yuan (US$6,024) in bribes or 100,000 yuan in embezzlement. Wu didn't announce the total amount in the corruption cases, but highlighted several individual crimes from the period.

    £¤ Song Jianfeng, the former general manager of Shanghai Company of China Petrochemical Corporation, accepted bribes worth 300,000 yuan.

    £¤ Tang Zhiyong, the former general manager of Shanghai Baosteel Equipment Maintenance Company, who together with two others accepted bribes worth 4.6 million yuan.

    £¤ Gu Xinhui, the former deputy director of the Hongkou District Health Bureau, accepted bribes worth 130,000 yuan.

    £¤ Wang Linchuan, the former director of the finance department of Jichang Town in Pudong, accepted bribes worth 600,000 yuan.

    Wu also said his office will continue a manhunt for seven high-ranking suspects who allegedly committed economic crimes in the city.

    He said in order to avoid potential crimes during preparation for World Expo 2010, the Pudong New Area Prosecutors' Office has suggested relevant government departments to improve relocation rules. Such a move may help prevent those with administrative rights from taking bribes.

    Wu said a total of 37 malpractice cases were investigated last year, which concerned 42 people including a police officer from Hongkou District.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)