Former China Southern Execs Plead Guilty To Accepting Bribes

Two former China Southern Airlines executives, including the firm's ex-chief financial officer, have pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, the official news Xinhua agency said.

In January, China Southern said its CFO, Xu Jiebo, along with three other senior executives were under investigation and sacked for suspected criminal wrongdoing.

Xu, who faced trial in a Shenzhen court on Wednesday, had accepted CNY6.9 million yuan (USD$1.07 million) in bribes and sought gains for others in construction and aircraft renting projects, Xinhua said.

Zhou Yuehai, former vice general manager, was also charged with accepting bribes of about CNY600,000 yuan and seeking gains for others in adding air routes and the supply of airline food, according to the court.

President Xi Jinping has been conducting an anti-corruption drive that has ensnared officials as well as businessmen, including mining tycoon, Liu Han of Hanlong Group, who was executed last year.