Former Chinese defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe have been expelled from the Communist Party of China and stripped of their delegate status to the 20th CPC National Congress.

The decisions were reviewed and approved at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held on Thursday, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Li and Wei were placed under investigation in August and September last year, respectively, following clues uncovered during cases handled by the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Central Military Commission. Both were found to have committed serious violations of discipline and laws.

Their suspected criminal activities will be transferred to military prosecutors for legal review and prosecution. The Central Military Commission had already expelled Li and Wei from the military and revoked their ranks of general.