CPPCC backs real estate disclosure

Members of one of Shanghai's main political advisory bodies called on the local government Sunday to create a system that requires officials and their relatives to disclose their personal assets, including real estate and financial investments.

The proposal, put forward on the second day of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), aimed to crack down on official corruption.

Local prosecutors handled 1,815 cases related to officials abusing their positions from 2008 to 2012, more than 90 percent of which involved corruption or bribery, according to a proposal by Li Fenhua, the former deputy director of the Shanghai Branch of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

An investigation found that 62 percent of the cases involved the exchange of money for power, Li said.

"These crimes have had a very bad impact on our society," Li told the Global Times.

Li's proposal was supported by other CPPCC members. Another proposal, submitted by the Shanghai Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association, suggested establishing a similar system for director-level bureau officials first.

Li's proposal favored establishing the disclosure system for new officials in Shanghai first.

The proposal included requiring officials to disclose the property holdings and financial investments of their relatives.

It also forbade them from owning property overseas or opening foreign bank accounts.

"The accuracy of the disclosure should also be considered when an official is up for promotion," the proposal said.