China's top government statistician has been fired due to his alleged links to a widening Shanghai pension-fund corruption scandal.
Qiu Xiaohua was dismissed as chief of the National Statistics Bureau, an official spokesman said Thursday, as a result of "severe violations of [Communist] Party discipline."
State-run media in China reported earlier on Wednesday that the corruption probe also involves the general manager of Shanghai's showcase Formula One auto racing track. Yu Zhifei is being questioned about alleged illegal operations at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Last month, the graft probe led to the firing of Shanghai's Communist Party Secretary, Chen Liangyu, and his removal from top national posts in the party.
The corruption probe is aimed at some high-profile companies in economically booming Shanghai, but officials in China have released few details.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters