Employees of China National Petroleum Corporation carry out routine checks at a gas refinery in Suining, Sichuan province Nov. 19, 2009.
Middle- and top-ranking officials at China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) have been ordered to surrender their passports, according to reports in the Chinese and Hong Kong press, in a bid to stem fallout from a widening corruption inquiry.
Passport requirements were introduced at a company-wide meeting last week, a source close to the state-owned energy company told the South China Morning Post. Four top CNPC officials, including deputy general manager Wang Yongchun, are currently under investigation for corruption.
[SCMP]