Deputy loses Shandong seat over possible corruption

A deputy has been deprived of his seat in the People's Congress of Shandong, the provincial legislative body, over possible corruption.

The decision was made at the bimonthly legislative session of the provincial legislature on Wednesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

Zhang Zezhong, 59, deputy secretary-general of Shandong provincial government, was deprived of his seat for being suspected of "gravely violating the law and discipline" — a routine expression for corruption investigation — the report said.

No further details were given.

Zhang was Party leader in Xigaze, Tibet autonomous region, from 1995 to 1998. Over the next 10 years he was an official in Qingdao city.

In March 2008 he began working in Shandong provincial government, where he was in charge of the provincial departments' public expenses, including the purchase of government vehicles and the construction of government buildings.