Five senior judges from Shenzhen's Intermediate People's Court have been arrested on corruption charges.

The judges, a vice-president, three court presidents and a retired judge, were arrested in a series of raids between June and October, Chinese-language newspaper The Democracy and Law Times reported on Monday.

Another 20-odd judges and lawyers are also reportedly involved in what has become the special economic zone's largest judicial scandal since its establishment.

The local government refused to comment on the scandal yesterday.

"The court is an independent judiciary," a government spokesman told China Daily. "We suggested it give some response to the media after we read the report, but so far we have got nothing from them."

Li Rujian, spokesman for Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, said no comment would be made on cases with no official prosecution, adding that the media should be cautious when reporting on incomplete cases.

The corruption cases, believed to be linked, were initially triggered by a Shenzhen People's Procuratorate investigation into the relationship between retired judge Liao Zhaohui and an auction house boss.

Both were arrested after investigations showed Liao had taken bribes from the boss whilst serving as president of the execution division.

In early June, Zhang Tinghua, president of the bankruptcy court, was arrested shortly after moving to new offices. Procurators recovered 100,000 yuan (US$12,700) in cash from his car.

Rumors are circulating that procurators also found more than 1.5 million yuan (US$190,000) in cash, including HK$1.2 million (US$154,000), hidden in his office.

Pei Hongquan, vice-president of Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, was arrested in October after two female court presidents, one of whom is his former wife, were placed under special measures.

Officials from the Central Commission?for Discipline Inspection are said to have found more than 27 million yuan (US$3.4 million) as well as US$950,000, hidden behind air-conditioners, toilets and inside the gold-fish pool at his house.

Pei, 51, launched a reforms package aimed at improving judicial efficiency when he became president of a district court in 1999.

As a result, he reaped numerous honours, including the "Good Judge That People Are Most Satisfied With" award from the national court system.

The Democracy and Law Times report cited an insider as saying that investigation teams formed by the Central Commission of Discipline Inspection and Ministry of Supervision have been stationed in Guangdong Province.

"The investigation teams' leaders have vowed to continue their investigation until they thoroughly solve the problem and get rid of judicial crime in Shenzhen," said the report. The scandal has broken amidst a renewed anti-corruption trumpet call by the central government.

Xiao Yang, president of the Supreme People's Court, has reiterated the importance of fighting corruption on several occasions of late, and requested courts at different levels to enhance anti-corruption measures.

(China Daily November 8, 2006)