China Southern official removed from job, expelled from Party

Si Xianmin, general manager of China Southern Airlines, has been removed from his post and expelled from the Party for "serious discipline violations", the country’s top anti-graft watchdog said on Wednesday.

Si violated Party regulations on interference with inspection work, used public funds to play golf, failed to report his personal matters to the Party and accepted cash and gifts, the Communist Party of China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said.

Xi, a vice-secretary in the Party, also was accused of using his job to benefit family members on business projects and gain benefits for other businesses in exchange for bribes of cash or property.

The evidence will be transferred to the judicial authority for further investigation, the CCDI said.

Since November 2012, when the new Party leadership took office, anti-corruption has become a top priority. To date, more than 130 high-ranking officials have been investigated for corruption, including Zhou Yongkang, former security chief, who was sentenced to life in prison in last June.