REDUCED TIME IN PRISON AND PAROLE HAVE long been seen as the ways ex-officials escape the punishment they deserve for the crimes they have committed.

If such legal leniency, which is designed to be an incentive for the imprisoned to redeem themselves, is abused, the effectiveness of the fight against corruption will be greatly compromised.

The regulations on the legal procedure for obtaining commuted prison sentences or parole that the Supreme People's Court announced on Tuesday should tighten the control over the procedure and make it more difficult for such treatment to be granted to those imprisoned for abusing their power.