HONG KONG: China's top anti-corruption body has indicted a former chairman of China Eastern Airlines Group on bribery charges, China's top prosecutor said on May 8.

This is the latest in a ​string of high-profile anti-graft actions as Beijing steps up a campaign against corruption.

The news came a day after China's official news agency, Xinhua, highlighted the scale of the anti-corruption campaign. It reported that former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were given death sentences for corruption, but with a two-year delay.

Former airline official Liu Shaoyong is accused of misusing his position to help others and taking bribes in cash and valuables. The charges also include his time as chairman of the airline. Liu was expelled from the Communist Party in January, and Reuters could not reach him for comment.

China's anti-corruption drive, started by President Xi Jinping in 2012, targets both senior officials and lower-level workers. Recently, it has focused more on the misuse of public money, bank loans, state company assets, infrastructure funds, and local government resources.

On May 7, the anti-corruption body said that Hou Weidong, a former senior official at the Bank of Communications, had been expelled from the Communist Party for serious violations. He is accused of taking gifts, money, and benefits, borrowing large sums, and having others pay his expenses. Prosecutors are now reviewing his case.

The crackdown has also targeted local officials. Jin Zhizhen, a former senior political adviser in Xinjiang, was expelled from the Party and removed from his post for serious violations.

Another official, Zhou Xi'an from Anhui province, was given a suspended death sentence, one of the harshest punishments for corruption. He was found to have taken more than 134 million yuan (about US$20 million) in bribes, according to state media.