China's top prosecuting department investigated seven ministerial-level officials in the first five months of this year, an increase of 40 percent compared with the same period in 2013, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate on Friday.

The officials include Guo Youming, former vice-governor of Hubei province, who is alleged to have taken bribes; Chen Baihuai, former deputy head of Hubei province's top political advisory body, who was suspected of abuse of power and accepting bribes; and Chen Anzhong, former deputy head of Jiangxi province's People's Congress, who is also suspected of bribery.

In addition, 1,577 officials above county level were investigated from January to May by prosecuting departments, up 33.1 percent from the previous year, according to statistics released by the SPP.