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A former prefecture governor in Yunnan Province, who owns more than 20 properties including six in Australia, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China for allegedly taking huge bribes.

The standing committee of the CPC's Yunnan provincial committee said in a statement released Wednesday that on Tuesday it decided to expel the former Governor of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Region Yang Hongwei after investigations had linked him to bribery, drug abuse, dereliction of duty, as well as living a "lax lifestyle."

Yang, 48, was found to have taken bribes including 10 million yuan (1.55 million U.S. dollars), 138,000 U.S. dollars, 30,000 HK dollars, and 30,000 Australian dollars in cash, and goods valued more than 950,000 yuan when he was governor of Chuxiong from 2006 to 2011, the statement said.

He was removed from the post in April this year.

Yang could not account for how he acquired hugely valuable assets which include 17 local properties and six others in Melbourne, Australia. Yang was also found to have taken drugs and maintained "improper" sexual relationships with several women, according to the statement.

The statement said the local judicial authorities would further investigate Yang's alleged crimes.

Two other officials -- a former head of the provincial taxation bureau and a former head of the provincial housing bureau -- were also stripped of their party membership on Tuesday on charges of corruption, according to the statement.

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