China announces criteria for capital punishment in graft cases

China has said that convicts found guilty of embezzling or accepting bribes worth 3 million Yuan (about 463,000 U.S. dollars), will be sentenced to death.

However, it said that the handing out of capital punishment would be based on the severity of corruption and its overall impact on society.

The Xinhua news agency said that the ruling was jointly issued by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The court said that a two-year suspended death sentence may be issued if there are mitigating factors.

In practice, however, courts tend to be more lenient when sentencing those who have cooperated during the investigation.

In cases where the death penalty may be too strong, convicts may receive a life sentence without commutation or parole, according to the document.

The ruling is a supplement to the Criminal Law, which was revised in late 2015.

The law gives judicial departments more authority to set precise standards, as it is easier to revise a judicial explanation than amend the law.