BEIJING - Qi Pingjing, former deputy head of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and thrown out of office.

The decision was made by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and approved by the CPC Central Committee, said a statement on CCDI's website on Thursday.

A CCDI investigation into Qi's suspected legal and disciplinary transgressions found that he took advantage of his position to seek benefits for others and received a huge amount of money and gifts, the source said.

He was also found to have embezzled public funds and abused his position to seek benefit for his relatives' business activities -- serious violations of discipline, with the embezzlement and bribe-taking suspected criminal offenses.

The decision said Qi's profits from his illegal and improper behavior will be confiscated and his suspected crimes transferred to judicial authorities.