By IANS,
Beijing : China’s Supreme People’s Court has issued new codes barring judges from accepting gifts from parties involved in lawsuits or wearing heavy make-up and flamboyant fashion accessories in court.
Judges should also stay away from dinner invitations, seminars and forums organised by institutes, law firms or agents involved in lawsuits they are judging, the China Daily reported Thursday.
They have been asked not to visit entertainment venues, such as karaoke bars, in their robes or court cars.
The regulations released Wednesday by the court have been detailed in the Code of Conduct for Judges and the Code of Ethics for Judges.
Yu Housen, deputy director of the court’s political department, said some judges may unconsciously leak information about specific cases at seminars and forums that may lead to injustice and sometimes corruption.
Judges seeking to travel abroad to visit relatives or friends or for leisure tours must get approval from the courts and provide complete itineraries.
In addition, judges must receive court approval before doing media interviews.
China’s legal system has been rocked by many corruption scandals in recent years.
Former Supreme People’s Court vice president Huang Songyou received a life sentence in January for accepting bribes worth more than 3.9 million yuan ($574,000).