In the land of state-owned businesses and heavy state control of civil society, this means tens of millions more people. Some observers have told Fairfax Media the new anti-corruption drive might prompt a new exodus of Chinese people overseas to places such as Australia, as investigators with quotas to fill go digging for past mistakes and grievances. Loading Punishable violations might include bribery, abuse of power, dereliction of duty, rent-seeking, siphoning benefits, twisting the law for personal gain and wasting state assets. Until now, the special system of "discipline inspection", under which people could disappear for months to undergo secret interrogation in the most serious cases and have their assets seized until admissions of guilt were extracted, was reserved for Communist Party members.

The process existed outside the law, and became a key reason why countries such as Australia were reluctant to ratify extradition treaties with China. This non-legal status was also why international police forces, including the Australian Federal Police, were unwilling to cooperate with China's corruption investigators when they wanted suspects who had fled overseas returned. But a new law will create a national graft-busting body, the National Supervision Commission, with a far wider scope. Vice-chairman of the National People's Congress, Li Jianguo, told congress delegates gathered in Beijing this week the struggle against corruption was "still grim and complex", and the goal of the National Supervision Commission was to "achieve full monitoring of all public officials". As 80 per cent of civil servants are party members, it was "inevitable" that party and state supervision would be unified. "To punish corruption with zero-tolerance attitude is the clear political stance of the Communist Party," he said.

A delegate carries a magazine with a cover showing Chinese President Xi Jinping as he leaves the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Credit:AP When Xi announced at the party's twice-a-decade meeting last October that "shuanggui", the practice of secret interrogation of party members would be abolished, human rights groups expressed hope. That hope has now given way to scepticism. The chief of the party's old graft-buster, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, is widely expected to emerge on Saturday as the chief of the new civilian anti-graft body. State media have reported the two anti-corruption bodies will also share offices.

Draft legislation released this week does outline legal rights for suspects. Using insults and beatings to obtain information, or corporal punishment during interrogation, is not allowed. Interrogations must be videoed. Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and Premier Li Keqiang arrive at a session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 13. Credit:AP But loopholes and exceptions remain. A Chinese law expert who spoke to Fairfax Media on condition of anonymity points out that while families must be informed that a suspect has been detained within 24 hours under the law – a welcome improvement – there are clear exceptions. No notice will be given if there is concern it may impede the investigation, such as prompting the destruction of evidence, disruption of witnesses or collusion on testimony. There is no requirement that detainees be represented by a lawyer.

Assets seized that are later proven to be unrelated to corruption must be returned within three days, the law says. But there is no mechanism for returning the assets, which may include cars or apartments and funds in personal bank accounts. Property protection was fundamental to a citizen feeling secure within a legal system, the legal expert said. The commission, not the courts, will seize the assets during the investigation, despite or perhaps because the latter offers a legal appeal process. A three-month limit will be placed on detention, which can be extended by a further three months if a higher level of the supervision commission is informed. Diet, rest, safety and access to medical services is stipulated. Interrogation times and lengths must be "reasonable".

After a spate of suicides, including the high-profile death of top general Zhang Yang in November when he came under investigation, fear that a suspect may escape punishment by suicide has become grounds for detention. Human Rights Watch researcher Maya Wang says the new detention system "appears to be a legal, but no less abusive, twin of shuanggui". "It provides no fair trial protections, not even the basic ones that exist under China's criminal procedures." She says a "veneer of legal legitimacy" has been added to the system "to counter criticisms of its anti-corruption drive at home as well as abroad". Foreign governments should express concern about the detention system when engaging with Chinese officials from the new National Supervision Commission, she says.

"Foreign police forces should continue to exercise the same level of caution when dealing with the Chinese government's extradition requests of corruption suspects." The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper owned by wealthy Chinese businessman Jack Ma, wrote in an editorial that the National Supervision Commission would provide legal cover for the investigations of the party's Central Commission body, CCDI and that - by expanding its scope to all people in public positions - it could apply checks and balances to the abuse of power. "It is a long way from the Western model of separation of powers, but it is a reminder that China is trying to build its own system," the editorial argued. But an open letter, signed by 59 mainland Chinese human rights lawyers when "pilots" of the supervision commission began to investigate and detain people last year, criticised the fact that investigations were being conducted outside the criminal law. The letter called for the supervision law to include a right to a lawyer to prevent abuses.

Instead, this week's draft only mentions the need to build an ombudsman system. In one bright note, the legislation specifies the graft-buster's powerful new chief will be limited to serving two five-year terms. Unlike the nation's president.