Chinese authorities shut down a shopping website offering deals to workers at courts on everything from beauty products to cars as the government clamps down on corruption and the legal system tries to recover from a series of scandals.
The China Courts Shopping Network, where court workers had to log in with details that identified who they worked for, went off line this week after newspapers questioned its purpose.
The Beijing News cited a legal expert as saying the site was little more than a venue for "covert bribes," and suggested legal authorities investigate how it had been allowed to operate.
President Xi Jinping has made fighting pervasive corruption a central theme of his new administration, warning the problem is so severe that it could threaten the very survival of the ruling Communist Party.
On its website, the Supreme People's Court said it had severed links with the shopping site "to prevent misunderstandings," but insisted the service was genuine.
"The site provided court workers a certain amount of help with their lives," it said.
The company that ran the site, Beijing XD-Union Technology, did not respond to calls seeking comment.
The Beijing Youth Daily cited a company executive as saying the site was an ordinary e-commerce portal.
China's courts and legal bodies, directly controlled by the Communist Party, have suffered scandals in recent years over corruption and miscarriages of justice. Four senior judges in Shanghai were sacked this month after newspapers reported they had hired prostitutes at a nightclub.
中国法院联合购物网因贿赂担忧关闭
中国法院联合购物网遭到政府当局关闭，该网站主要针对法院系统职工，销售从美容产品到汽车用品等各种商品。
该网站采取实名注册会员制，在媒体质疑其目的后，该网站已于日前关闭。
《新京报》援引法律专家的说法称，该网站在向法院“变相贿赂”，建议追究相关责任人。
中国法院网在官网上对此作出说明，称该网站提供的服务对法院系统职工的个人生活有一定的帮助，即同意为其提供一个免费链接；但为避免产生更多误解，中国法院网即取消此链接。
该网站的运营方为北京信达联合科技有限公司。记者就此致电该公司寻求置评，但电话无人接听。
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