China's highest procuratorial organ brings legal experts to college campuses

BEIJING, June 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from Beijing Review:

Objective: To obtain the most useful knowledge on how to prevent fraudulent litigation in the shortest possible time.

Initiator: Li Ping, a procurator with the Civil Procuratorial Department of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

Audience: Teachers and students from the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) School of Law.

This was the introduction to a lecture given at BFSU on May 8. During the event, Li introduced the definition of fraudulent litigation and, through vivid and understandable case studies, detailed the harm it causes, as well as the importance of combating it and upholding judicial fairness.

The lecture is a recent example of the SPP's commitment to enhancing the support it provides to law faculties in universities by offering seasoned procurators as top-notch educational resources.

Since October 2023, the SPP has organized 60 such lectures, attracting the participation of more than 7,000 college students nationwide. The lecture program shows law students the demeanor of highly experienced procurators and offers role models for them to emulate as they begin their careers.

The SPP is the highest procuratorial organ of China. The procuratorial system is a branch of the judicial system with responsibilities including supervision of law enforcement and public prosecution in criminal cases.

Sharing practices

By sharing their expertise in the classrooms of universities, seasoned experts in the procuratorial system bring real-world insights and practical wisdom to the next generation of legal professionals, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and its application in the justice system.

Fraudulent litigation refers to individuals or entities using means such as forging evidence or making false statements to initiate civil litigation, thereby undermining judicial order or seriously infringing on the rights and interests of others, Li explained during the lecture.

According to a white paper on civil prosecution work issued by the SPP on March 9, fraudulent litigation cases are diverse and can have serious social consequences. They often involve private lending, divorce property division, company division or merger, bankruptcy, labor disputes, intellectual property protection or insurance.

The SPP has launched a campaign targeting fraudulent litigation, and procuratorates in several regions have proposed measures to address loopholes in litigation.

Wang Wenhua, Director of the Academic Committee of the BFSU School of Law, told Beijing Review that Li's lecture helped teachers and students gain a better understanding of the progress made by China's procuratorial organs in their supervision of law enforcement and in conducting prosecution of civil cases. The lecture also detailed the results the SPP has achieved in the prevention and control of fraudulent litigation, Wang said.

"It was also helpful in alerting everyone present to the possibility of being involved in such cases, and encouraging our students to further study the issues Li raised," she added.

Talent cultivation

The SPP has provided a "menu" of courses for universities to choose from and will make the courses a routine part of exchanges between their procurators and universities. According to Han Qiang, Vice President of East China University of Political Science and Law, this "helps law students broaden their horizons from the perspective of procurators and make up for their lack of practical training."

"The procuratorate-university partnership is another major step forward for the procuratorial organs in contributing to the cultivation of legal professionals," said Hu Ming, Dean of the Guanghua Law School at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Last year, the school also collaborated with local procuratorial organs in their compilation of textbooks for its students.

The SPP stated it will continue to carry out this program and, based on feedback from teachers and students, to make sure every class and lecture on campus is high-quality and hits the marks.  

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