Chinese lawyers see surge in demand for anti-corruption interrogation guidance

Chinese lawyers offer coaching for when corruption busters come knocking

Legal practitioners across China are witnessing a surge in demand from clients seeking guidance on how to handle encounters with anti-corruption investigators, a trend that underscores growing anxiety among officials and business executives.

Zhang Dongdong, a partner at Beijing Han Heng Law Firm, has been receiving an increasing number of requests for legal advice from anxious entrepreneurs, nervous government officials, and their desperate relatives. The lawyer emphasises that suspects should learn what to do before being detained, as they might spend months cut off from legal counsel once taken into custody.

Pattern of desperate inquiries

The circumstances prompting these consultations vary widely. Some clients had received a tip-off that they were being investigated, while others got a call from disciplinary inspectors asking them to cooperate. In most cases, however, the suspects had already been held by disciplinary authorities, and their families came seeking legal help.

Zhang has encountered particularly troubling situations. In one instance, someone who had given bribes agreed to cooperate after being promised that they would not be investigated, but the authorities went back on their word after the bribe-taker was sentenced. In the most serious case, the client died after being taken into custody and the family came to the law firm.

Source: South China Morning Post