Experts call for enhanced legal system to prevent Zhou-style corruption

Chinese law experts on Sunday called for an enhanced legal system to prevent corruption, while expressing their strong support of the investigation into Zhou Yongkang.

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Friday decided to expel Zhou, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, from the CPC and transfer the details of his suspected crimes to judicial organs to be handled in accordance with the law.

Wang Shiqing, head of the Tianjin office of Yingke Law Firm, said that Zhou Yongkang's case occurred because the legal system in the country was not yet perfect.

"Currently, a small number of high-ranking officials are not administering their power according to law," Wang said, adding that it was an urgent task to raise the awareness of law among those officials.

Wang's opinion was echoed by Zhu Shuai, a lawyer at the Hongtao Lawyers' Agency in Shanxi Province. Zhu believed the investigation into Zhou's suspected crimes and the decision to arrest him issued a warning to officials at all levels in the country.

Zhu said the decision would not only educate the public about the rule of law but also remind the Party and government organs of performing duties in accordance with law.

According to Zhu, the decision would also lend support to the belief that the society will be more equitable as long as the drive to promote the rule of law continues.

Regarding the next move in anti-corruption campaign, Qiao Xinsheng, a law professor with Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, said only by perfecting the legal system could the power be "locked into the cage" and only by administering the power according to law could cases like Zhou Yongkang be stemmed.

The fact that Zhou Yongkang who once led the nation's judicial and public security authorities failed to abide by laws and abused power indicated that the rule of law must be implemented in an earnest manner and the legal system must be perfected, said Zhou Shuzhen, a professor with Renmin University of China.

Zhou was expelled from the CPC by a decision made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday.

The decision was made after attendees at the meeting deliberated over and adopted an investigation report on Zhou's severe disciplinary violations, which had been submitted by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

A separate statement released Saturday by the Supreme People's Procuratorate said prosecutors had opened an investigation into Zhou's suspected crimes and decided to arrest him according to the law.

In the legal reform blueprint adopted at a key session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in late Oct., the CPC set a new blueprint for rule of law, promising wide ranging changes to the judicial system and vowing to build a law-abiding government.