BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Chief Justice Xiao Yang said here Saturday that local courts across the country heard 683,997 criminal cases in 2005, 6.17 percent up year-on-year, and sentenced 844,717 cases, or 10 percent more, to prison.

    Local courts handled a total of 7,940,549 cases of law, with 1,059.796 billion yuan of money involved, said Xiao, president of the Supreme People's Court, in his work report to the ongoing session of the Tenth National People's Congress. Enditem