BEIJING - Liu Zhijun was on Friday formally dismissed from his post as Minister of Railways.

The decision by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, comes just weeks after it was announced the 58-year-old is under investigation for "severe discipline violations".

On Feb 12, the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee said Liu was replaced as the ministry's Party chief. Sheng Guangzu, 62, former head of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), has been appointed the new railways minister. He was also earlier named the ministry's new Party chief.

Liu became railways minister in March 2003. Sheng was vice-minister of the department before he was transferred to the GAC as deputy commissioner in 2000.

Last year, the central government punished 146,517 officials for corruption. Among them were 5,098 officials at county level or higher.

Four lawmakers were also dismissed from the national legislature for suspected violations of law or discipline on Friday, according to the NPC Standing Committee.

Huang Jianhua, a legislator from North China's Hebei province and president of Hebei Port Group, was asked to resign for "economic errors" in a resignation letter, the committee said in a statement. It added Huang is suspected of taking bribes and neglecting his duty.

Luo Jinbao, Zhang Keqiang and Shen Changfu of Beijing, Guangdong province and Chongqing respectively were expelled from their corresponding municipal or provincial people's congress standing committees for suspected lawbreaking.

Luo is former chairman of China Railway Container Transport Company, while Zhang is chairman and president of Huamei International Investment Group in Guangdong. Shen is chairman and president of China Mobile Group Chongqing.

Members of the NPC Standing Committee adopted a resolution to terminate the four's eligibility as deputies to the national legislature.

China Daily - Xinhua

(China Daily 02/26/2011 page2)