A renowned Chinese scholar called on the government Wednesday to make a move to impede "judicial loopholes" posed by suicide, citing several economic suspects' escape from justice through taking their own life.

Following the country's ongoing bout against graft and corruption, a number of corrupt officials have committed suicide in order to evade punishment for their crimes.

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Communist Party's Central Party School Anti-Corruption Studies Professor Lin Zhe stated that over 20 officials all over China committed suicide due to the "high and unbearable pressure" of being a public servant.

However, he noted that, unlike ordinary citizens, only a small portion of the recorded government official suicides were because of pressure or depression, stressing that nearly 70 percent have been linked to corruption.

After they die, officials who commit suicide get to retain their "titles and honor" and the wealth they garnered during their lifetimes, regardless of whether it was through public service malpractice.

Others, especially the lowly "flies" described by Reuters, had taken their own lives in order to avoid becoming eyewitnesses to bigger cases involving the "tigers" of corruption in the country.

The Chinese Criminal Law, indicating that prosecution concludes if the suspect dies and that the case should be withdrawn, combined with the principle of "not guilty unless convicted by the People's Court" makes death a perfect escape for guilty officials who wish to dodge paying for what they have done.

"It might be difficult to change the principles, such as ending prosecution against dead suspects, but at least disciplinary investigations should continue against them, and dig deep into their background," he stated, emphasizing that the Chinese government should make a move to 'close that loophole.'

He also added that the present administration should take a step towards making sure that economic suspects or possible eyewitnesses involved in graft and corruption realize that death will no longer protect them from losing their ill-gotten wealth.

TagsCPC, guilty, economic suspect, Graft, loophole, judicial loophole, Anti-corruption