A female official with Sinopec, China's largest oil refiner, has decided to sue a netizen and website for libel, the Beijing Times reported on Jan 7.

The official, who was not identified in the report, was thrust into the middle of a controversy after a post on china.com said a US-based measurement company tried to sexually bribe her through an African male prostitute.

The official decided to sue the person who made the post and China.com on charges of libel.

"The person has severely damaged my reputation through the Internet, and it was a personal attack regardless of laws and regulations. China.com, as a media outlet and online platform, failed to assume its role of supervision and verification," she said in a statement.

Contact the writer at xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn