China's top audit body said it would audit all central
government, Party departments and State-funded institutions after
it disclosed embezzlement of public funds among some central
government departments, China Youth Daily reported
Tuesday.
Zhang Qiuxia, a director with the National Audit Office (NAO),
said the administration will audit departments and institutions of
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the
central government, top legislature and national political and
non-governmental organizations funded by the central
government.
Until last year, NAO only audited departments and institutions
of the State Council, the cabinet, the director said in an
interview with Oriental Outlook Weekly.
On June 24, Auditor-General Li Jinhua told the national
legislature that embezzlement of public funds was found in 55
ministries and commissions under the State Council, which drew
attention from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and the general
public.
According to the auditing report, 41 ministries and commissions
appropriated as much as 1.42 billion yuan (171.56 million US
dollars) of funds dedicated to special projects for the
construction of residential and office buildings for their own
use.
In response, Premier Wen called on all the departments under the
State Council, governments at all levels and enterprises to draw
lessons from the serious problems uncovered by the audit office in
its auditing of the implementation of the 2003 central budget,
according to the Monday edition of the People's Daily, the
mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China.
Wen was quoted as saying all the persons who violated the laws
and regulations must be "dealt with seriously", and promised the
State Council would make a special report on what had been done to
settle these problems to the country's top legislature at the end
of this year.
(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2004)