Article 167 If a person who is directly in charge of a State-owned company, enterprise or institution, when signing or fulfilling a contract, is defrauded due to serious neglect of responsibility and thus causes heavy losses to the interests of the State, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention; if especially heavy losses are caused to the interests of the State, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years.

Article 168 If a person who is directly in charge of a State-owned company or enterprise, practises irregularities for selfish ends and causes bankruptcy or heavy losses to the said company or enterprise, thus resulting in heavy losses of the interests of the State, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention.

Article 169 If a person who is directly in charge of a State-owned company or enterprise or the competent department at a higher level practises irregularities for selfish ends by converting State-owned assets to shares at a low price or selling them at a low price and thus causes heavy losses to the interests of the State, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention; if especially heavy losses are caused to the interests of the State, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years.

Section 4 Crimes of Disrupting the Order of Financial Administration

Article 170 Whoever counterfeits currencies shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined not less than 50,000 yuan but not more than 500,000 yuan. Whoever is found to be in any of the following situations shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years, life imprisonment or death and shall also be fined not less than 50,000 yuan but not more than 500,000 yuan or be sentenced to confiscation of property:

(1) being a ringleader of a gang engaged in counterfeiting currencies;

(2) having counterfeited currencies in especially huge, amounts; or

(3) being involved in other especially serious circumstances.

Article 171 Whoever sells or buys counterfeit currencies or knowingly transports such currencies shall, if the amount involved is relatively large, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall also be fined not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 200,000 yuan; if the amount involved is huge, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined not less than 50,000 yuan but not more than 500,000 yuan; if the amount involved is especially huge, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined not less than 50,000 yuan but not more than 500,000 yuan or be sentenced to confiscation of property.

Any employee of a bank or of any other banking institution who buys counterfeit currencies or, taking advantage of his position, exchanges such currencies for genuine ones shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 200,000 yuan; if the amount involved is huge, or if there are other serious circumstances, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 200,000 yuan or be sentenced to confiscation of property; if the circumstances are minor, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall also, or shall only, be fined not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 100,000 yuan.

Whoever counterfeits currencies and also sells or transports counterfeit currencies shall be convicted and given a heavier punishment according to the provisions in Article 170 of this Law.

Article 172 Whoever knowingly holds or uses counterfeit currencies shall, if the amount involved is relatively large, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall also, or shall only, be fined not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 100,000 yuan; if the amount involved is huge, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 200,000 yuan ; if the amount involved is especially huge, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than 10 years and shall also be fined not less than 50,000 yuan but not more than 500,000 yuan or be sentenced to confiscation of property.

Article 173 Whoever alters currencies shall, if the amount involved is relatively large, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall also, or shall only, be fined not less than 10,000 yuan but not more than 100,000 yuan; if the amount involved is huge, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 200,000 yuan.

Article 174 Whoever establishes a commercial bank or any other banking institution without the approval of the People's Bank of China shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall also, or shall only, be fined not less than 20,000 yuan but not more than 200,000 yuan; if the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than 10 years and shall also be fined not less than 50,000 yuan but not more than 500,000 yuan.

Whoever forges, alters or transfers the permit for operation of a commercial bank or any other banking institution shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

Where a unit commits any of the crimes mentioned in the preceding two paragraphs, it shall be fined, and the persons who are directly in charge and the other persons who are directly responsible for the crime shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of the first paragraph.

Article 175 Whoever, for the purpose of making profits through transferring loans, fraudulently obtains credit funds from a banking institution and transfers the funds to another at usury shall, if the amount of illegal gains is relatively large, be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention and shall also be fined not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal gains; if the amount involved is huge, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years and shall also be fined not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal gains.

Where a unit commits the crime as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, it shall be fined, and the persons who are directly in charge and the other persons who are directly responsible for the crime shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention.