October 29, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 29, 1429

BEIJING, Oct 28: The Chinese government removed many legislators and officials on Tuesday, state media said, with reports suggesting that three had been involved in corruption and other forms of economic crime.

Meeting on the last day of a bi-monthly session, lawmakers voted to remove Zhu Zhigang from his post at the head of parliament’s budget work committee, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Xinhua said earlier that Zhu, a 58-year-old former vice finance minister, was under investigation for helping close relatives buy property at discounted prices.

Legislators also expelled two deputies for offering bribes and for unspecified fraud.—AFP