Courts required to improve verdict enforcement

While being required to improve the efficiency of handling cases in which individuals or departments do not comply with verdicts, Chinese courts have also been ordered to make the handling process more transparent to welcome public supervision.

Liu Guixiang, a member of the adjudication committee of the Supreme People's Court, announced the requirements at a news conference on Thursday while discussing how courts nationwide have handled verdict enforcement in recent years.

According to Liu, the number of such cases increased to 6.52 million last year from 6.44 million in 2019. From January to October this year, that figure reached 7.3 million.

To deal with defendants who don't pay fines or claims as ordered, he called on courts to make full use of an online platform established with financial institutions and government departments to look for defaulters' holdings, including bank accounts and real estate, that can be seized.

"Delays in handling such cases must be prohibited," he said. "In situations where available properties need to be seized, the processing of resulting payments should also be improved."

Liu stressed that courts should regulate their behavior in handling such cases and take care when carrying out verdicts.

"For example, judges shouldn't excessively or improperly seal up enterprises' properties, nor should they embezzle the money," he said, adding that courts also need to disclose the handling of such cases and make them available for public scrutiny.

For those who don't have money or property that can be seized to pay off fines or claims, courts will make an effort to regularly scrutinize their financial situations, according to He Dongning, deputy head of the top court's enforcement bureau.

"In other words, we won't give up any case involving verdict enforcement. If we find available properties, we'll again begin urging them to comply with court rulings and order them to pay what is owed as quickly as they can," he added.