China's national legislature expelled three lawmakers on Wednesday, including a former board chairman of a real estate company, a former provincial-rank official and a well-connected businessman, for alleged tax evasionor involvement in corruption. Li Yichao, former board chairman of Luoyang Zhongtai Group in central Henan Province, was stripped of his post in the National People's Congress (NPC) for alleged tax evasion, according to a circular of the Standing Committee of the 10th NPC. Investigation by local police showed that Li's company evaded more than 14 million yuan (1.8 million U.S. dollars) of taxes from May 2005 to December 2006. At the closing of a regular session that began on Feb. 26, the NPC Standing Committee also voted to strip Liu Weiming, 68, a provincial-rank official of Guangdong Province, and Deng Zhonghua,49, president of Hunan Chendian International Development Co., Ltd, of their NPC memberships. Liu was dismissed for "seriously violating discipline", according to the decision made earlier by the provincial people's congress in Guangdong. Previous media reports said Liu had been involved in economic crimes. He had been expelled from the Communist Party of China. Liu served as vice governor of the economic boom province of Guangdong from 1988 to 1998 and vice chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from 1998 to 2003. In a separate case, Deng was suspected of taking and offering huge bribes after being investigated by anti-corruption authorities in central Hunan Province. Deng was appointed president of Hunan Chendian International Development Co., Ltd. in March 2004.

(Xinhua News Agency)