Court officials must learn the art of rejection

Every staff member at all levels courts in East China's Zhejiang province was recently given a handbook on how to say no to presents, date invitations and other pleas that may be regarded as taking a bribe and lead to corruption, Metropolis Express Daily reported on Tuesday.

The handbook, compiled by the discipline inspection department of Zhejiang High People's Court, teaches court personnel how to politely and tactfully reject presents, invitations and unfair pleas.

The handbook lists 24 occasions that may lead to presents or pleas during the process of handling a case, and it gives advice on how to cope with different situations.

For example, court officials are instructed on how to return wedding cash gifts from litigants, refuse litigants' home visits and reject relatives prying into cases.

According to the guidelines, even when faced with a dinner invitation from old classmates, court personnel should first ask about the purpose and should refuse it if the purpose is related to any lawsuits.

Judges should know how to tactfully and properly reject offers, said Qi Qi, the head of Zhejiang High People's Court. That is why they compiled such a handbook, Qi added.