China's Communist Party elite has expelled disgraced banker Mr Wang Xuebing from their ranks as a precursor to criminal prosecution, state media has reported.
Mr Wang, a protege of Premier Zhu Rongji, was sacked as head of the China Construction Bank in January over problem loans made during his tenure as head of the Bank of China years earlier.
His expulsion was the latest in a string of punishments doled out by a party keen to show it is bearing down on official corruption just days ahead of a five-yearly party congress expected to usher in a new generation of leaders.
"Wang Xuebing took advantage of his position to embezzle and accept bribes. He accepted bribes worth several millions of yuan," Xinhua news agency said. "He had a debauched lifestyle and corrupted morality".
China sentenced the former head of state-run Everbright Group, Mr Zhu Xiaohua, to 15 years in prison last month for taking bribes.
Mr Xinhua said Mr Wang had violated regulations on financial supervision when he was general manager of the Bank of China's New York branch and when he was head of Bank of China.
In recent weeks, speculation has swirled that the former president of State Power Corp, Mr Gao Yan, might also be purged from the Central Committee following reports in Hong Kong media of a corruption inquiry.