Communist Party expels Bo Xilai

China's leaders have ended their latest closed-door conclave with a decision to formally expel disgraced politician Bo Xilai …

China's leaders have ended their latest closed-door conclave with a decision to formally expel disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the Communist Party.

The move paves the way for his criminal prosecution.

The ruling Communist Party today ratified the expulsion of Mr Bo, a former Chongqing party boss, and also Liu Zhijun, one-time railway minister, who was sacked last year for "serious disciplinary violations".

The developments were reported by state news agency Xinhua said at the close of the secret four-day meeting.

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Their expulsions were the latest in a string of punishments doled out by a party keen to show it is clamping down on official corruption just days ahead of a five-yearly party congress expected to usher in a new generation of leaders.

The "seventh plenary session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Sunday endorsed a decision ... to expel Bo Xilai", Xinhua said in a brief report.

The government accused Mr Bo in September of corruption and of bending the law to hush up his wife's murder of a British businessman. He has yet to be formally charged.

Reuters