Two former ministerial-level officials were expelled from the Party and dismissed from their civil-service posts on Wednesday, the latest move in the country's anti-corruption efforts.

Wang Suyi, former head of the United Front Work Department in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, was punished for "serious violations of Party discipline and law", according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China.

Wang, 52, was found to be taking advantage of his post to seek benefits for others and accepting large amounts of money personally or through his relatives, according to a statement on the commission's website.

Wang is suspected of violating criminal law, and his case will be transferred to appropriate judicial departments, the statement said, without elaborating on his alleged misconduct.

Wang was mayor and Party chief of Bayannur from 2003 to 2010, during which time the city's real estate industry boomed, Beijing News reported. At least four of Wang's former colleagues in Bayannur had been punished before he was investigated.

Meanwhile, Li Daqiu, former vice-chairman of the Guangxi Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, received the same punishment as Wang for accepting a large amount of money, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC.

The commission offered no details on how Li had violated Party discipline and the law. A report in 21st Century Business Herald had said that Li's relatives in Hezhou city were suspected of illegally exploiting minerals.

Nine officials at and above the ministerial level have been investigated since the Party's new leaders took power in November after the 18th National Congress of the CPC.

The latest case of an investigated senior official was reported on Sunday, when the central government announced that Jiang Jiemin, former chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, was being probed for "serious discipline violations".

- An Baijie

(China Daily USA 09/05/2013 page5)