1st Ld-Writethru: CPC expels senior sports official

Xiao Tian, former deputy director of China's General Administration of Sport, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and removed from public office for violations of the Party code of conduct.

Approved by the CPC Central Committee, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) launched an investigation into Xiao and found he was in "serious breaches of discipline and law," the CCDI said in a statement on Thursday.

It accused him of violating CPC rules by interfering with and stalling the investigation and hiding funds and property by colluding with others, according to the statement.

The probe also found Xiao exploited his position to help his family members in business, seek profits for others in promotion of officials and business operations and took bribes, said the CCDI.

As a senior Party official, Xiao showed no intention of disciplining himself and stopping his wrongdoings even after the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012 when the new leadership launched the anti-corruption campaign, the statement said.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate announced later that it decided to arrest Xiao and investigate his suspected crime of taking bribes.

The investigation is under way, according to the SPP statement. Endit