(HUANG JINGWEN)

Sun Shuyi was removed from his post as chairman of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and was also deprived of membership of the local advisory body on December 17.

Though the CPPCC Shandong Committee did not disclose the reason for Sun's dismissal, media reports said Sun was allegedly linked to a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of about 4 billion yuan ($588 million) in 1996-2007. A businessman in Jinan, capital of Shandong, operated the once largest investment fraud in China, who fled abroad in 2007. Sun served as Jinan's Party chief between 1995 and 2004.

Sun, 64, was elected chairman of the CPPCC Shandong Provincial Committee in January 2004. Before that, he had served in many Party posts at different levels in the province since 1970, including vice secretary of CPC Shandong Provincial Committee in 2000.