Guideline targets crime disrupting work, life resumption

The Supreme People's Procuratorate issued a guideline to promote the resumption of work and life under normalized epidemic prevention and control, and severely penalize crimes disrupting the resumption of work and financial management.

The guideline, including 11 items, focuses on punishing crimes that disrupt the resumption of work and production and epidemic prevention and control, and crimes such as cybercrimes and illegal loans to ensure a stable social and financial environment.

It asked the procuratorial organs to fully protect intellectual property rights and normal business activities of enterprises, and strictly investigate and prosecute the crimes of duty encroachment, nongovernment officials taking bribes, and misappropriation of funds. Prosecutors would consider the impact of the suspect's behavior on the operation and development of enterprises before proposing precise sentencing recommendations.

Crimes related to loans and refusing to pay labor remuneration were asked to be handled prudently, where prosecutors should fully consider the situation for enterprises having difficulty raising funds and reasonably judge the harmfulness of the borrowers' behaviors. Prosecutors must carefully distinguish between unpaid labor remuneration due to capital turnover difficulties versus ill-intentioned unpaid wages.

Intellectual property rights related to the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic such as diagnostic and testing technologies, medical respiratory protective products, and vaccine development, were asked to be well-protected.

Serious infringement and counterfeiting crimes involving advanced and core technologies, and crimes of infringing on commercial secrets by theft, inducement, fraud, coercion, electronic intrusion or other improper means would be the crackdown focus. Scientific research personnel suspected of duty crimes will also be properly handled in accordance with the law.

To maintain a law-based business environment that is conducive to opening-up, the procuratorial organs will strictly prosecute crimes such as issuing stocks and bonds fraudulently, disclosing or not disclosing important information illegally, and providing false documents of certification.

Crimes such as illegally absorbing public deposits and fundraising fraud in the name of internet finance, money laundering, infringement of the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors and foreign-invested enterprises, disrupting the order of investment, and hindering the progress of projects will be severely punished.