China vows to stamp out corruption from judiciary

China's ruling Communist Party today vowed to crack down on judicial corruption after reports about several convicts bribing their way out of jails by getting their sentences commuted came to light.
"Terms and procedures on commutation, parole and serving a sentence outside jail for medical reasons should be stringent within the framework of the law," said an instructive document released by the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the party.
The commission referred to a high profile case of Zhang Hai, former board chairman of a Chinese beverage giant who used illegal means to have his sentence cut by five years in a second court trial and had his jail term further reduced by more than four years while he was serving the sentence, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Police officers, prison and court officials were involved in these commutations, and Zhang, former chairman of Jianlibao Group Co Ltd fled the country after he was freed.
The commission noted "some problems" in the area of rehabilitating convicts and helping them return to society, and said such problems "severely trample the sanctity of law and harm the credibility of law enforcement".
According to the commission, those making illegal decisions to commute a sentence or grant release on probation will be severely punished.
The document focuses on regulating commutation, parole and serving a sentence outside jail for medical reasons for crimes like taking advantage of one's position, disrupting financial order and financial fraud, and organising mafia-style groups.

Those who try to reduce their sentences or secure probation using personal influence or other "improper" means will be refused remission even if they are repentant, according to the document.