China’s state media has broadcast statistics for some of China’s recent high profile corruption cases.

Out of the 16 recent cases where high-ranking officials were sacked for corruption, fourteen of the offenders had illicit lovers.

Some of the most notorious recent scandals have involved sexual misconduct, like the former mayor of Shanghai who stole from pension funds partly to finance a string of mistresses.

The top prosecutor's office has opened its files, it says, to draw attention to the fight against corruption.

Some observers see the new moral mood as a sign that more official misdeeds will be exposed and punished, others believe it may be a political manoeuvre to manipulate certain officials out of office.