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About 500 of the more than 34,000 officials whose accounts were audited last year were suspected to be corrupt and referred to prosecution agencies for further investigation.

Auditor-General Liu Jiayi said yesterday that the numbers were roughly the same as in the last two years.

Among the accounts audited were those of four provincial or ministerial-level officials and heads of 12 State-owned enterprises, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. But it did not say what the results of the audits were.

About 80,000 auditors audited the accounts of more than 120,000 projects and units across the country last year, helping save 86 billion yuan ($12.6 billion) of government funds.

And though about 6 billion yuan of government money was misused in 2008, NAO did not detect corruption in the use of funds for the economic stimulus package. The government announced a $586-billion stimulus package on November 9 to boost domestic demand in order to cushion the impact of the global financial crisis on China's economy.

The financial crisis has already hurt China's economy, with the GDP growth slowing to 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, the lowest in seven years.

The slowdown could make officials fudge accounts or misuse government funds to suit the demand of projects and/or gain the favor of their seniors. That's why auditors have been extra cautious this year and vowed to announce extravagance, big losses and waste in stimulus package spending, apart from the usual violations and crimes, Liu said.

Liu assumed the auditor-general's office last year and promised to minutely scrutinize expenditure on major infrastructure projects, especially those undertaken to rebuild facilities in the quake-hit areas.

Liu said NAO would focus on local governments that violate rules while implementing the central government's policies to maintain economic growth.

The audit office will also study closely newly approved projects that could have high greenhouse gas emission levels. Possible violation of regulations on land use, taxation and other financial policies will also be part of the scrutiny.

Auditing of the Beijing Olympic Games' accounts will begin soon, he said. Last month, other NAO officials told China Daily that the audit results would be made public in the first half of this year.

Questions:

1. How many officials were suspected of being corrupt after having their accounts audited?

2. What was the estimated sum of government money that was misused in 2008?

3. Which next major audit begins soon?

Answers:

1. 500.

2. 6 billion yuan.

3. That of the Olympic Games

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

Brendan joined The China Daily in 2007 as a language polisher in the Language Tips Department, where he writes a regular column for Chinese English Language learners, reads audio news for listeners and anchors the weekly video news in addition to assisting with on location stories. Elsewhere he writes Op’Ed pieces with a China focus that feature in the Daily’s Website opinion section.

He received his B.A. and Post Grad Dip from Curtin University in 1997 and his Masters in Community Development and Management from Charles Darwin University in 2003. He has taught in Japan, England, Australia and most recently China. His articles have featured in the Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, The Asia News Network and in-flight magazines.