Highlights of top court’s, procuratorate’s work in 2019

1. Courts across the country concluded 12,639 cases related to gang crimes involving a total of 83,912 people. Chinese procuratorial organs prosecuted 30,547 people for committing the crime of organizing, leading and participating in mafia-style gangs in 2019, up 194.8 percent year-on-year.

2. Courts nationwide concluded 418,000 intellectual property cases, including patents, trademarks and copyrights. The World Intellectual Property Organization published judicial cases on intellectual property rights in China. China has become the country that hears the most intellectual property cases, especially patent cases, and one of the countries with the shortest trial cycle in such cases. Procuratorial organs across the country prosecuted 11,003 people for crimes such as infringing on trademarks, patent rights, copyrights and trade secrets, up 32.2 percent yearon-year.

3. Chinese courts concluded 25,000 cases of corruption, bribery and dereliction of duty, involving 29,000 people. They also concluded 321 cases in which corrupt fugitives returned to China for trial, with their illegal earnings confiscated in accordance with the law. Procuratorial organs across the country handled 24,234 people who had committed duty-related crimes, an increase of 50.6 percent year-on-year. Among them, 18,585 have been prosecuted, an increase of 89.6 percent year-on-year.

4. Courts granted amnesty to a total of 23,593 criminals before the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

5. Courts at all levels retried and overturned the verdicts of 1,774 criminal cases in accordance with trial supervision procedures. A total of 18,000 state compensation cases were concluded to protect the legitimate rights and interests of state compensation claimants.

6. The Supreme People’s Court issued judicial interpretations to punish those guilty of insider trading and manipulating the securities and futures markets. The SPC also worked with the People’s Bank of China, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and China Securities Regulatory Commission to resolve financial disputes in multiple ways and protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors and financial consumers. Procuratorial organs across the country prosecuted 40,178 people for financial fraud and financial management disruption, up 25.3 percent year-on-year.

7. The Supreme People’s Court improved the justice system to severely punish, in accordance with the law, crimes that infringe upon the physical and mental health of minors. Courts in China have also strengthened mechanisms to prevent bullying in schools, concluding 4,192 of such cases. A total of 62,948 people were prosecuted for crimes that involved harming juveniles, up 24.1 percent year-on-year.

8. Procuratorial organs across the country intensified efforts to punish telecom and internet fraud and other crimes such as organizing online gambling and leaking personal information. They prosecuted 71,765 people, up 33.3 percent year-on-year.