China's highest-ranking politician to be investigated since President Xi Jinping took power has been sacked from his government post after being placed under a corruption probe, state media said today.
Su Rong, 65, until last year the top Communist party official in the central province of Jiangxi, was "removed" from his most recent post as vice-chairman of the China People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Such a removal is usually a prelude to criminal prosecution.
He is the most senior politician to be investigated since Xi Jinping ascended to the top of the party in 2012.
The Communist party's central disciplinary body said earlier this month it was probing Su for "disciplinary violations", generally a euphemism for corruption.
A number of government officials - mostly at the local level - as well as bosses at state-run firms, have faced corruption probes since Xi took over and called graft a threat to the organisation's future.
But critics say weak rule of law and a lack of governmental transparency have reduced the impact of his campaign.
The CPPCC is a discussion body that is part of the Communist party-controlled governmental structure.
Su was also previously the top official in the northwestern provinces of Qinghai and Gansu, giving him rich connections in China's fictionalised political system.
Reports in Chinese media have connected Su to corrupt land deals made in Jiangxi during his time as party secretary there.
