(Xinhua-China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-14 09:23

The long-awaited National Bureau of Corruption Prevention (NBCP) was unveiled yesterday in the latest bid to fight corruption.

The State-level bureau, which will focus on corruption prevention rather than punishment, will be in charge of organizing and coordinating preventive measures.

Ma Wen, head of the bureau, told a press conference yesterday that such an organization was needed to orchestrate all the resources to "prevent corruption at its roots".

The downfall of a string of senior corrupt officials in recent years has led to calls for containing corruption; and some have blamed the lax prevention system for being the cause.

"The establishment of the bureau signifies the central government's growing attention to graft prevention," said Ma, also minister of supervision.

The NBCP aims to monitor the flow of suspicious assets and corruption activities by establishing an information-sharing system among prosecuting organs, courts, police and banks, Qu Wanxiang, deputy head of the bureau, said at a press conference.

With this information, the bureau will be able to monitor money flows and detect suspicious behavior, he said, adding it will not be involved in probing individual cases.

Qu said that the status of the bureau, which reports directly to the State Council, or the cabinet, would guarantee a smooth operation.

The bureau will also guide anti-corruption work in companies, public undertakings and non-governmental organizations; help trade associations to establish self-regulatory systems and mechanisms; prevent commercial bribery, and work with rural organizations as well as urban communities.

Qu revealed that the new bureau consists of 30 members, including a head and two deputies.