GUANGZHOU: A senior judge fired over allegations of embezzlement has worsened locals' perceptions of the judiciary in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province.

Chen Peilin, 53, deputy president of Potou district people's court of Zhanjiang, was detained on Feb 6 on suspicion of embezzling the court's executive funds.

"Chen's case reflects a lack of supervision over judges and other judicial personnel," insiders told China Daily. "The operation of judicial departments is not transparent enough."

Chen, a native of local Nanshan township, became a well-known figure after he organized a grand wedding ceremony last June in a five-star hotel in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, to marry a woman in her 20s.

It was his third marriage.

The grand wedding banquet ruffled the city's judicial circle, insiders said, and under pressure Chen later returned all the money he had accepted as wedding gifts.

Authorities started to investigate Chen in the wake of his wedding ceremony, according to court sources.

To tackle judicial corruption, Zheng E, president of the Guangdong High People's Court, urged judges across the province to stay away from lawyers and business representatives to ensure justice is cleanly served in the southern province.

"We stand firmly against any close contact between judges and lawyers and business people," Zheng told a recent work conference.

Meanwhile Zheng said his court would ask all judges in the province to report if their spouses or close relatives are lawyers, to let the plaintiffs, defendants and the public know whether the lawyers and attorneys have any prior relation with the judges.

"The judges will be required to avoid adjudicating such cases," Zheng said.

A number of judicial corruption cases have been reported in Guangdong in recent years, damaging the image of the courts and judges in the province.

Last month, Liu Xianjin, a former chief prosecutor, committed suicide by jumping off a residential building in Zhanjiang's Chikan district.

After an investigation, local police ruled out the possibility of Liu being murdered, but refused to clear him of economic problems.

Liu was former chief prosecutor of the Intermediate People's Procuratorate of Maoming, a city bordering Zhanjiang.

In June 2008, Yang Xiancai, former executive director of the Guangdong High People's Court, was detained and investigated for taking large bribes.

Yang was later found to have links with Huang Songyou, the former vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, who was found guilty of taking more than 3.9 million yuan (S$798,330) in bribes from 2005 to 2008.

Huang, a native of Guangdong, was sentenced to life in prison in January.