|
BEIJING, Oct. 26-- The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) closed its five-day bimonthly session Friday, adopting a revised Criminal Procedure Law, revisions to the organic laws of courts and procuratorates, among others. Presiding over the closing meeting, Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, said the NPC attached great importance to achieving judicial reform and justice via legislation and supervision. The revised Criminal Procedure Law introduces "default judgment" in criminal trials, which allows the prosecution of suspects who stay overseas and are involved in corruption, severely endangering state security or terrorism. Citing the first NPC Standing Committee inquiry on judicial work ever held during a bimonthly session, Li said it was an exploration of the NPC exercising its supervision over judicial organs. Before the closing meeting, Li presided over a chairpersons' meeting of the NPC Standing Committee. At the closing meeting, lawmakers voted to enact a new law on international criminal judicial assistance and to adopt a resolution to mandate the Supreme People's Court to handle cases related to intellectual property rights, which require more expertise. Lawmakers also approved the one-year extension of a pilot program, which aims to spur innovation and reduce inefficiencies in the country's drug approval system. The so-called "marketing authorization holder" mechanism, introduced by the State Council in a three-year pilot reform in late 2017, expands those eligible to acquire drug manufacturing licenses from pharmaceutical companies to drug researchers and institutions. | 
