China to clean-up lawyer misconduct, attorney accused of sexual assault singled out
Photo: VCG
China's Ministry of Justice said it plans to "rectify" lawyers who engage in illegal part-time jobs or continue to practice after losing their Chinese citizenship, and singled Beijing lawyer Bao Yuming, who is accused of sexually assaulting a teenager under his guardianship.
"Some lawyers run their own businesses and serve as managers rather than being devoting to lawyer services. Some lawyers still practice in China after losing their Chinese citizenship. In particular, Bao Yuming, a lawyer from a Beijing-based law firm, has been working in an enterprise for a long time. He concealed his American citizenship in 2006 and still practiced as a full-time lawyer, which caused bad social influence after media reports and seriously damaged the image and reputation of the lawyer team as a whole," reads the announcement from the ministry on Sunday.
The "rectifying activity" will last until September 25. All law firms were asked to check their lawyers and submit forms to justice authorities, who will check the materials in detail and issue punishment if there are illegal activities and dishonesty.
If a relevant person doesn't meet the requirements, the law firm shall not allow the lawyer to undertake new business. Those who fail to truthfully report their situations or refuse to make corrections during the operation, or those who have lost their Chinese citizenship when they applied for their license to practice law will have their license revoked in accordance with the law, reads the announcement.
Bao, 48, is a former non-executive director of the telecommunications company ZTE and senior executive of oil servicer Jereh company. He was accused of confining and sexually assaulting a 14 year-old girl whose mother had sent her to Beijing to live with Bao, who was supposed to act as her guardian.