Body of missing executive of China joint venture of Alcatel-Lucent found

BEIJING (Reuters) - Authorities have found the body of an executive of Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell who went missing in mid-January, the China joint venture of telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent SA said on Wednesday.

Jia Lining, the company's human resources director, went missing on Jan. 14. Before his disappearance, Jia accused his company of wrongdoing and corruption, Chinese financial news magazine Caixin has reported, citing an unnamed source.

In a Jan. 17 statement, Alcatel-LUCENT (LU.NY)Shanghai Bell said it was investigating Caixin's report on Jia's allegations and disappearance.

On Tuesday, the influential business magazine said Jia's body was discovered in a tributary of the Huangpu river in February, adding that police had ruled out murder.

"We can confirm that a body has been found in the case of the missing executive," the company said in a statement. "Investigations are continuing," it added, but declined to make any further comment. The remarks were echoed by an Alcatel-Lucent spokesman based in Paris.

Alcatel-Lucent's Chinese partner in the joint venture is China Huaxin Post & Telecommunication Economy Development Center. In October, China Huaxin closed its purchase of Alcatel-Lucent's enterprise division for 202 million euros (146.35 million pounds).

A spokesperson for China Huaxin declined to provide immediate comment.

(Reporting by Paul Carsten; Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)