Summary

中国最高司法机关详细说明了如何将刑法应用于腐败中间人，细化了打击“新型和隐藏形式腐败”的标准。这是由最高人民法院和最高人民检察院周五联合发布的司法解释的一部分。该解释强调需要对腐败链中的所有参与者执行法律，包括直接行贿受贿者、中间人、官员和管理人员。其目的是既威慑这些中间人，又帮助全国各地的检察官和法官更准确地适用刑法，更高效地处理相关案件。这是针对“隐形腐败”的更广泛打击的一部分，这种腐败通过各种分离的交易层使行贿者和受贿者之间保持距离。根据司法解释，在贿赂过程中充当中介或促进者的人也将承担刑事责任。如果对个人的贿赂超过10万人民币（约14,640美元），或对组织的贿赂超过50万人民币，中间人的行为可能构成“严重犯罪”，将面临最高三年有期徒刑并处罚金。

Content Summary

China’s top judicial bodies have detailed ways that the country’s criminal law can be applied to corrupt middlemen, refining the criteria for tackling “new and hidden forms of corruption”. The guidance was part of a judicial interpretation released jointly by the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Friday. In it, the bodies highlight the need to enforce the law against all participants in the corruption chain, for the direct bribe-givers and recipients to intermediaries, officials and management personnel. The interpretation is aimed at both deterring these intermediaries and helping prosecutors and judges throughout the country apply criminal law more accurately and handle related cases more efficiently. It forms part of a broader push against “hidden corruption”, or graft that distances the recipient and the giver through various separating transactional layers. According to the judicial interpretation, those acting as intermediaries or facilitators in the bribery process will also be held criminally liable. If a bribe to an individual exceeds 100,000 yuan (US$14,640), or a bribe to an organisation exceeds 500,000 yuan, a middleman’s actions could amount to a “serious offence” and attract penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, along with fines.

Useful Phrases

  1. hidden corruption - 隐形腐败

    • Context: “It forms part of a broader push against “hidden corruption”, or graft that distances the recipient and the giver through various separating transactional layers.”

  2. criminally liable - 承担刑事责任

    • Context: “According to the judicial interpretation, those acting as intermediaries or facilitators in the bribery process will also be held criminally liable.”

  3. serious offence - 严重犯罪

    • Context: “…a middleman’s actions could amount to a ‘serious offence’ and attract penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, along with fines.”

  4. refining the criteria - 细化标准

    • Context: “China’s top judicial bodies have detailed ways that the country’s criminal law can be applied to corrupt middlemen, refining the criteria for tackling ’new and hidden forms of corruption’.”

  5. separating transactional layers - 分离的交易层

    • Context: “…hidden corruption”, or graft that distances the recipient and the giver through various separating transactional layers."

  6. deterring these intermediaries - 威慑这些中间人

    • Context: “The interpretation is aimed at both deterring these intermediaries and helping prosecutors and judges throughout the country apply criminal law more accurately and handle related cases more efficiently.”

  7. apply criminal law more accurately - 更准确地适用刑法

    • Context: “…helping prosecutors and judges throughout the country apply criminal law more accurately and handle related cases more efficiently.”

  8. handle related cases more efficiently - 更高效地处理相关案件

    • Context: “…helping prosecutors and judges throughout the country apply criminal law more accurately and handle related cases more efficiently.”