Bo expelled from China's Communist Party

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BEIJING, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Politician Bo Xilai was expelled from the Community Party of China, which turned over its investigation of suspected wrongdoing to prosecutors, the party said.

The decision was announced Friday following a meeting of the party's Political Bureau, which adopted an investigation report on Bo's suspected violations, China's state-run Xinhua reported.

Bo, once a fast-rising party official on track to become a Politburo member, was the party chief of the large city of Chongqing before being ousted for alleged disciplinary violations. The government has accused Bo of corruption and tapping phone conversations of President Hu Jintao and other senior party leaders, among other things.

In August, Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of murder in last November's poisoning of British businessman Neil Heywood and given a suspended death sentence, which usually means a life-in-prison sentence in China.

Wang Lijun, a former Chongqing vice mayor, reportedly sought to defect to the United States and his visit to the U.S. Consulate in February, triggering the scandal that eventually brought down Bo. The two had been close associates prior to the events but fell out, which led to the police chief's visit to the U.S. Consulate.

Because of the incidents and Bo's suspected violations, the Community Party of China's Central Committee suspended Bo's party membership and began an investigation in April.