At least 12 female government officials have been investigated on corruption allegations this year amid the clean-governance campaign, according to anti-graft authorities.

Women account for 4 percent of the 283 officials who have been investigated this year, according to the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top anti-graft watchdog.

The latest case occurred on June 9, when Jin Qiufen, director of Yangzhou City Environmental Protection Bureau in Jiangsu province, was investigated for suspected grave violation of discipline and law.

Jin, 52, was investigated after the fall of Ji Jianye, former mayor of Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province. The Legal Mirror said in a news report that Jin was a mistress of Ji, but the authorities did not confirm the report.

Zheng Xinghua, former deputy mayor of Yichang, Hubei province, was investigated in early January and also reportedly had an affair with Guo Youming, vice-governor of Hubei province.

Zheng, of vice-prefecture level, is the highest ranked female official being investigated for corruption.

Yang Xiaobo, 43, mayor of Gaoping in Shanxi province, is the youngest of the women being investigated.

Four of the women have been transferred to judicial authorities, while the other eight are still being investigated by the Party's disciplinary authorities.

An Baijie