Judges on the take draw criticism
9/3/2005 8:28
Special relationships between some lawyers and judges that negatively
affect the justice system have come under heavy fire at the ongoing annual
session of the National People's Congress.
Judicial justice is needed to
ensure social justice, but when judges take bribe money from lawyers working for
parties involved in lawsuits, the dignity of the law is eroded, said Li
Guoguang, NPC deputy and vice president of the Supreme People's
Court.
"Judges should guard against all temptation, especially when working
alone," Li said yesterday.
Judges earn about 10 times less than lawyers per
year. Some are seduced by bribes offered by lawyers with ulterior motives, said
the president of the higher court of a northeastern province, who declined to be
named.
Scandals involving judges have been reported regularly in recent
years. In one notorious case, 13 judges of Wuhan City Intermediate People's
Court in central Hubei Province - including two vice-presidents and deputy
presiding judges - were found to have taken more than 4 million yuan
(US$480,000) in bribes early last year. Another nine judges received
disciplinary punishment and 30 middle-level officials were transferred to minor
posts.
Xu zhihui, a NPC deputy who serves in a Beijing-based law firm,
expressed frustration with the practice that some clients ask lawyers whether
they are on good terms with the judge who will hear their case. Clients hope a
good relationship between a lawyer and judge will lead to a result in their
favor.
The vast majority of the country's 102,000 lawyers are ethical while
most of the 200,000 plus judges are clean and honest, Xu said.
"To guard
against and prevent the collusion of a small number of judges and lawyers, we
should enhance the collective moral awareness of society and continue to keep
improving related laws and regulations," said the lawyer.
Last year, the
Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Justice released a series of
regulations to standardize the deeds of lawyers and judges, including a ban on
the practice of secret meetings between lawyers and judges.
(Xinhua)
Xinhua
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