Ordinary people will help ensure procurators' work is free and fair

The city's procurators - Beijing's equivalent of the United States' district attorneys - will be monitored by a team of 119 members of the public under a new initiative that aims to ensure prosecutors' fairness is beyond question.

Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate issued a letter of appointment to the 119 on Monday. Of those, 27 will work out of the city's highest-level procuratorate office.

They will be called "people supervisors" and their appointment ends a six-year pilot project.

"The introduction of people supervisors into the procuratorates is an important part of reform to promote juridical democracy," said Ma Jianguang, deputy chief of Beijing Procuratorate.

"They will be a bridge between the authority and the public. They reflect the mind of the average citizen and supervise the organization's daily work."

People supervisors will have a role in the investigation and prosecution of certain cases coming before the city's procuratorates, Ma said on Monday.

During the pilot project, people supervisors served in procuratorates in eight districts and two counties between October 2004 and December 2010.

They worked on 229 cases involving 259 people, disagreeing with the authorities on five occasions. In four of those instances, their suggestions were acted upon.

Government officials are not allowed to serve as people supervisors.

"The people supervisors are from the grassroots and officials heading branches of the municipal government or CPPCC members and NPC members are not entitled to take part," said Mu Ping, chief of Beijing Procuratorate.

However, the CPPCC and the NPC at Beijing level will help with the selection of suitable candidates.

An Lijuan, 52, a newly selected people supervisor from Shougang Group neighborhood committee, said the innovation will help promote judicial fairness.

"This is one of the biggest concerns of the common people," An said.

However, people supervisors will not get involved in all cases, said Mu.

"The supervising system is mainly aimed at investigations initiated by the procuratorates into such things as alleged duty crimes like bribery," said Mu.

"Criminal investigations are usually carried out by the public security bureaus and supervised by the procuratorate."

The people supervisors will also aim to stamp out improperly filed paperwork, detainees being held beyond the time limit, the use of coercion in the gathering of evidence and malpractice among procurators.

They will receive professional training about the investigation of duty crimes.

"But the training will not be as professional as it is for the procurators because we expect them to exercise their supervision from the perspective of common people," said Mu.

About 100 cases are applicable for people supervision each year and they will be randomly assigned to the people supervisors.

They will not be paid for their work but will get compensation for out-of-pocket expenses.