China's procuratorial bodies in charge of anti-corruption and supervision over law enforcement have stepped up efforts in wiping out corruption from within their own ranks.

Last year 694 prosecutors involved in 606 cases were investigated for wrongdoing by disciplinary and supervision departments of people's procuratorates across the country, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said today.

A national conference on disciplinary and supervision work held by the SPP was told that investigations have been concluded for 88. 6 percent of the cases, in which 544 prosecutors were given disciplinary punishment, 55 went to trial and 73 were criticized and required to be educated.

Wang Ke, head of the working group of the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party stationed in the SPP, delivered a work report at today's conference.

He said that "procuratorates cross the country have seen a pleasing turn for the better in aspects of honesty, self-discipline, and fair and rigorous enforcement of the law thanks to the power of political and ideological education."

Following a new rule that the head of a procuratorate will be held responsible for corruption cases uncovered in his work unit, top prosecutors in eight provinces were ordered to Beijing to criticize their own mistakes in 1999, and 33 other regional prosecutors reviewed their responsibilities to offices at higher levels.

Eighty-nine heads of procuratorates across the country were investigated and affixed for their responsibilities in 79 cases, Wang said.

He told disciplinary bodies of procuratorates to intensify their supervision over officials, especially heads of procuratorates, law enforcement procedures, appointments and replacements, financial accounts of prosecution offices and off-duty activities of prosecutors.