TWO department-chief-level officials in Shenzhen have been expelled from the Party for serious disciplinary violations, the city’s Party discipline inspection commission said on its official microblog Sunday.

    Evidence against Chen Xiaoguang, director of the regional planning department of Shenzhen Municipal Urban Planning and Land Resources Commission, and Huang Jiazhong, deputy chief with the Shenzhen Public Notary, have been handed over to the judicial departments for further investigation, the microblog said.

    An investigation showed Chen violated Party rules, abused power and took bribes.

    Chen was appointed head of the regional planning department in March 2011 after the city government began restructuring in 2009.

    Chen is suspected of involvement in a bribery case in November 2008 in which three officials from Inner Mongolia offered him bribes, hoping he would help solve a land dispute.

    Development on the parcel of land offered by the Shenzhen city government to Inner Mongolia was halted by a Shenzhen court. The Inner Mongolian government was ordered to pay off debts to a Shenzhen company in 2007.

    According to earlier reports, Chen, then director with the Shenzhen Municipal State Land and Housing Administration, abused his power. Chen confirmed his contacts with the three officials from Inner Mongolia in solving the issue, but denied taking bribes.

    Huang was investigated for violating rules, abusing power, nepotism and embezzling public property. No other details were given. (Han Ximin)