曹建明：反腐败斗争盯上扶贫领域

China's anti-corruption campaign will include a new focus this year cracking down on the misuse and embezzlement of poverty relief funds, according to the top prosecutor.

最高人民检察院检察长表示，中国今年的反腐败斗争将集中打击滥用和挪用扶贫资金的职务犯罪。

The five-year drive is aimed at ensuring the poverty alleviation policy and special funding will benefit poor people in poverty-stricken areas, Cao Jianming, prosecutor-general at the Supreme People's Procuratorate, told China Daily in an exclusive interview. This campaign has been launched by the SPP and the Poverty Relief Office under the State Council.

最高人民检察院检察长曹建明在接受《中国日报》专访时表示，此次集中整治由最高人民检察院和国务院扶贫办联合部署开展，为期五年，旨在确保扶贫政策和扶贫专项资金落实到位，确实惠及贫困地区。

Prosecuting departments will focus on investigating graft issues that involve exporting labor services, ecological protection, education and medical insurance, as well as minimum rural living allowances, Cao said.

检察机关将集中调查劳务出口、生态保护、教育、医疗保险和农村最低生活保障等方面的贪污渎职案件。

They will also become "more aggressive" in going after officials at grassroots levels, such as those in charge of handling traffic in rural areas, hydropower, electric power infrastructure construction, and renovation of rural homes, Cao said.

曹建明还表示，调查行动还将对负责农村地区贸易、水电、电力基础设施建设和农村房屋翻修等工作的基层政府官员加大调查和打击力度。

The campaign comes after a keynote speech by President Xi Jinping at an anti-graft meeting in January, during which he promised to maintain the momentum at grassroots level to benefit everyone.

习近平总书记在一月份的一次反腐会议上发表重要讲话，承诺要推动全面从严治党向基层延伸，维护群众切身利益。

In recent years, a large amount in poverty alleviation funding has been embezzled or misused, seriously harming the public interest and people's legitimate rights. It has also led to a series of petition cases, which has affected social harmony and stability.

近几年，大量扶贫资金的非法滥用和贪污严重损害了公众利益和人民的合法权利，相关诉讼案和请愿书对社会和谐与稳定产生了影响。

"We will try our utmost to punish those who abuse their power to embezzle, hold back, falsely claim or squander poverty alleviation funds," Cao said.

曹建明说：“我们会全力惩治任何滥用职权挪用、隐瞒、冒领、浪费扶贫资金的违法行为。”

Since November 2017, China's leadership has conducted a sweeping nationwide campaign to pursue both "tigers", or high-ranking officials, and "flies", or lower-ranked officials at the grassroots level.

自2017年11月起，中国领导人在全国范围内开展彻底的反腐行动，既打高级别国家干部这样的“老虎”，又打蛰伏在基层的“苍蝇”。

According to the SPP, duty-related crimes involving poverty alleviation funds have occurred at all levels but most of the corrupt officials involved have been at county level or below.

最高人民检察院表示，各级别官员都出现过扶贫资金的职权滥用犯罪，但职权滥用和腐败最严重的却是县级及以下官员。

"We will step up efforts to combat such crimes to let more people at the grassroots level share the fruits of the anti-graft campaign," Cao said.

曹建明说：“我们会加大对职权滥用和贪污的打击力度，让基层群众更多感受到反腐倡廉的实际成果。”

He also said the number of corrupt officials involved in the misuse and embezzlement of poverty relief funds has risen sharply due to "loopholes in the supervision mechanism, and the high number of anti-poverty projects and the huge funds involved".

曹建明还表示，由于“监管机制存在漏洞，扶贫项目数量极多，牵涉资金数目庞大”，涉嫌扶贫资金滥用和贪污的政府官员数目急剧增长。

According to the SPP, 933 corrupt officials in charge of poverty alleviation were investigated by prosecutors last year, a year-on-year increase of 19.2 percent.

最高人民检察院表示，去年共查处933名扶贫资金贪污人员，比去年增长了19.2%。

In October, China set a goal of building a well-off society and lifting all poverty-stricken people in rural areas out of poverty by 2020.

去年十月，党的十八届五中全会从实现全面建成小康社会奋斗目标出发，明确到2020年我国现行标准下农村贫困人口实现脱贫，贫困县全部摘帽。

"By targeting corrupt officials in the poverty relief sector, we will ensure that the targeted poverty relief strategy will really benefit poor people," Cao said.

“此次集中惩治和加强预防扶贫领域职务犯罪专项工作能够确保脱贫政策真正惠及广大贫困人口。”曹建明说。

He added that prosecutors will work closely with poverty relief departments and set up a system to share information, such as the number of poor people, funding distribution, and how poverty relief programs are run.

他还表示，检察机关将与扶贫机构密切合作，建立信息共享体系，保持贫困人口数量、扶贫资金分配、扶贫项目实施情况等信息的流通。

China still has 200 million people living in poverty, based on the World Bank standard, which means they each live on less than $1.90 a day. In 2017, the central government allocated 43.3 billion yuan ($6.67 billion) for poverty relief, double the amount in 2010.

根据世界银行日生活费1.9美元的贫困标准，中国仍有2亿贫困人口。2017年，中央财政安排扶贫资金433亿元人民币（约66.7亿美元），是2010年的两倍。