Former Shanghai Party chief Chen Liangyu was yesterday stripped of his last official post as deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, for serious violation of law and Party discipline.

The Shanghai Municipal People's Congress decided to remove him from his position as an NPC deputy in July and the 29th session of the NPC Standing Committee approved the decision yesterday.

Chen has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from all government posts and is in detention awaiting trial.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection started an investigation into Chen in September last year for his alleged involvement in the Shanghai social security fund scandal.

Chen, 61, was the secretary of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee when the corruption scandal broke.

Duan Yihe, former chairman of the Standing Committee of the Jinan Municipal People's Congress of Shandong Province, who was sentenced to death for murdering his mistress, was also expelled from the country's top legislative body.

Two other lawmakers, Sun Shengchang, former mayor of Qitaihe of Heilongjiang Province, and Bao Jianmin, former head of the Henan Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, were also kicked out of the legislature because of graft charges.

During the past four years, at least 24 NPC deputies were expelled from the top legislature for graft or other breaches of law or disciplines.

The current NPC has nearly 3,000 deputies, who hold a five-year tenure.

(Xinhua News Agency August 31, 2007)