Corrupt judges must be punished

Judges who violate laws and disciplines are a shame to China's judicial system and scar courts' credibility, and they must be severely punished, the country's top judge said on Thursday.

Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court, said during a meeting that courts across the nation must draw lessons from scandals involving judges and rectify possible misconducts to honor justice.

Some problems such as low morality, incompetence and corruption still plague Chinese courts, Zhou said, noting this has extensively infuriated the public.

He urged courts to strengthen their awareness campaign for judges and strive to root out loopholes that encourage misbehavior.

Courts must intensify the supervision on judges and build effective mechanisms to prevent corruption and other improper acts, Zhou said. He also pledged that courts will show zero tolerance toward corruption.

The top judge's remarks came days after four senior judges from Shanghai's high court were fired over their alleged hiring of prostitutes at a nightclub.

The four were placed under official scrutiny after a netizen released video footage that appears to show them soliciting prostitutes at the Hengshan Resort in Shanghai on June 9.

Investigators found the four, along with a manager at a State-owned company in Shanghai, spent a night in the resort's nightclub where they allegedly hired prostitutes.