Li Zezhong, mayor of Zhuhai, Guangdong province, was expelled from the Party and removed from public office, according to a statement by the province's commission for discipline inspection on its official website on Wednesday.

Authorities also decided to confiscate Li's illegal assets and transfer him to the procuratorate for prosecution.

Li, also former deputy Party chief of the city, was put under investigation by the provincial-level discipline watchdog for alleged "serious violations of discipline and law". He also resisted the investigation.

Li was found to have taken bribes and abused powers to seek benefits for others, which caused great economic loss to the country. He also was found to have reimbursed personal expenses with public funds and was illegally involved in profit-making activities.

Li, 48, became Zhuhai mayor in May 2017. He worked for the Guangdong Rising Assets Management Co from 2006 to 2016 and became the company's chairman of the board in 2016.