The Hong Kong-listed company is the world's top video game
maker and the owner of popular super-app WeChat but has struggled under a broad
regulatory crackdown on China's tech sector initiated in late 2020.
In a statement, the firm -- which in November posted its
second consecutive quarterly decline in revenue -- said it had found more than
100 employees guilty of violating its anti-fraud policy.
More than 10 were transferred to China's public secqurity
organ, it added.
"In response to the problems of corruption and fraud
within the company, Tencent's Anti-Fraud Investigation Department continued to
strengthen its crackdown and investigated and dealt with a series of violations
with common problems," the firm said.
"The number of cases and personnel investigated and
dealt with throughout 2022 has increased compared with 2021," it added.
Those accused were found to have embezzled company funds and
accepting bribes, it added, with a number referred to police and some found
guilty in court.
A number of those fired and accused of corruption were part
of the company's PCG arm, which oversees its mammoth content output from news
to sports and movies.
But they also span Tencent's other businesses, including
cloud computing and fintech.
Most notably, one employee was found guilty of
"accepting bribes from non-state employees" and sentenced to three
years in jail, the company said.
Company CEO Pony Ma told an internal staff meeting last
month that the level of corruption at the firm was "shocking", state
media reported.
Tencent has been hit hard by a regulatory crackdown on video
games by Beijing, which saw hundreds of firms pledged to scrub
"politically harmful" content from their products and enforce curbs
on underage players to comply with government demands.
But the firm has shown signs of revival, with its share
price almost doubling in Hong Kong since October 28, when it hit a low not seen
since 2017.
The firm was also last month granted its first licence for a
video game in 18 months, ending a dry spell that had hampered the profits of
the world's top game maker.