4 China Southern Airlines' execs under graft probe

[BEIJING] China Southern Airlines said it reported four middle-ranking executives to authorities after an internal audit uncovered irregularities as China steps up its anti-corruption campaign.

A spokesman for China's biggest airline by fleet size declined to identify the executives, now under investigation by the police. The spokesman told Reuters yesterday he couldn't comment on the nature of the irregularities.

The airline's comments came after China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Nov 30 that as many as 10 executives at China Southern were taken away by police last week as part of the anti-graft drive. China Southern's spokesman said yesterday that only four company executives are currently under investigation.