Disgraced party boss Chen to be expelled

A DECISION was adopted by the powerful Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party yesterday to expel disgraced Beijing party boss Chen Xitong.

The decision was taken by the 200-odd Central Committee members who met yesterday at the Jingxi Hotel in western Beijing for the Fifth Plenum of the committee.

Chen would also lose his Politburo membership, a Beijing source said.

The committee also agreed yesterday to refer his corruption case to the judiciary for criminal prosecution, the source said.

The decision will be formally announced at the conclusion of the plenum, which could be today, barring last-minute changes.

A communique is expected to be issued at the end of the plenum, which sources said would highlight the importance of maintaining clean government.

Copies of the communique will be disseminated to senior government ministers today.

It is understood that the top echelon wanted to make an example of Chen to demonstrate the party's determination to stamp out corruption.

Chen got into trouble last April when his protege, Beijing vice-mayor Wang Baosen, committed suicide after learning that he was being investigated for bribes and embezzlement.