China: Ex-execs of state-owned firms indicted for graft

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – Three former senior executives of Chinese state-owned enterprises and a former high-ranking Tibet legislator have been indicted on corruption charges.

State news agency Xinhua reported Monday that those accused include Le Dake, former deputy head of the Standing Committee of Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress; Wang Tianpu, former general manager of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation; Si Xianmin, former general manager of China Southern Airlines; and Wang Shuaiting, former vice chairman of China Travel Service (Holdings) Hong Kong Limited.

While all are accused of accepting bribes and taking advantage of their posts to seek benefits for others in four separate cases, Wang Tianpu and Wang Shuaiting are also charged with embezzlement of public funds and property, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Since President Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign in 2013, tens of thousands of suspects have been investigated, including dozens of high-profile individuals at the top of the Party.

Last month, China’s top anti-graft watchdog announced that 163,000 officials -- including 41 at provincial and ministerial levels -- were penalized this year for violating Communist Party political discipline.

According to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, 336,000 people were punished last year, with the cases of 14,000 submitted to the judiciary for suspected criminal activity.