The Seventh Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Sunday endorsed a decision to expel former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun from the CPC.

The decision was made by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on May 28. Liu was stripped of his CPC membership after he was found to be involved in corruption.

The meeting reviewed and approved the investigation report on Liu's case submitted by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection(CCDI), the discipline watchdog.

Liu, also former Party chief of the Railways Ministry, had been under investigation since February 2011, when he was removed from his government post on suspicion of "serious disciplinary violations."

He was found to have used his position to seek huge illegal profits for private businessmen, which caused great economic losses and negative social influence, according to the CCDI.

The CCDI also discovered Liu had taken massive bribes and bore the major responsibility for severe corruption in the railways system.

Liu's illegal gains have been confiscated and his case has been handed over for investigation to judicial authorities.

Liu's removal is also believed to be linked to the high-speed train collision last July that killed 40 passengers and injured 172 others, the tragedy having been blamed on improper management.

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