Leaders will publicise Hu's crimes to show delegates that the move against corruption was serious.

Hu was sentenced to death last month for accepting more than five million yuan (HK$4.6 million) in bribes.

'Before the major Yuan Hua corruption case could be wrapped up, leaders hoped the harsh action against Hu could minimise the accusation that party leaders were not taking the scourge seriously,' a source close to the Supreme People's Procuratorate said.

Hu's execution is expected to coincide with the delivery of reports to NPC delegates by the Supreme People's Court President, Xiao Yang, and the Chief Procurator (prosecutor) of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, Han Zhubin, on Friday.

The source said the execution could help Mr Xiao and Mr Han get a higher level of support when NPC deputies cast their votes next week to endorse the reports.

'Han got a relatively low level of support in 1998 when he was elected by the NPC to the position of chief prosecutor,' the source added.

'But just within two years, 16 vice-ministerial senior officials were prosecuted for graft-related crimes.' Party sources said former Zhanjiang party boss Chen Tongqing, who is allegedly involved in the multi-million yuan Zhanjiang scam, faced execution, but due to heavy lobbying by his patrons, Beijing agreed to a suspended death sentence.

Sources said the investigation of the former vice-minister of public security, Li Jizhou, alleged to be involved in both the smuggling rings in Zhanjiang and Xiamen, was completed.

Sources said leaders had decided to control the damage done to the image of the party as a result of the Xiamen scam.

It was expected Li and Wang Leyi, a vice-director of the Central Customs Administration, and about 200 Fujian and Xiamen officials would shoulder most of the blame of the Xiamen case.

They added it was unlikely senior officials in Beijing would be implicated despite speculation that a large number of them were involved.