(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-14 11:01

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has publicized a new set of rules for judicial authentication which will take effect on October 1.

The rules, passed by the MOJ on July 18, will take place of the existing rules released on Aug. 31, 2001, MOJ said.

Judicial authentication refers to the activities that authenticators identify, make judgments and offer expertise on the special issues involved in litigation by using scientific technologies or special knowledge.

The formal version of the new rules has five chapters and 40 clauses in all, including general principles, authorized authentication process legal documents issued by the authentication institutions and supplementary provisions.

The MOJ said they improve the original rules and release the new ones aiming to better adapt to social changes and ensure the high quality of judicial authentication.

According to MOJ, the formal version is released after the draft version publicized in 2005 to solicit the opinions from central and local governments, the judicial experts and the public.

The new rules address problems with most public complaints for their lawsuits, such as repeated or delayed authentication.

The new rules, for the first time, make clear that the judicial authentication institutions must reply to thrusters whether they can make authentication for their cases within seven working days.

The rules, also for the first time, stated clear that state or commercial secrets, individual privacy must not be divulged during the judiciary authentication process.