Former PetroChina vice-chairman to be prosecuted for graft

Beijing

FORMER PetroChina vice-chairman Liao Yongyuan has been expelled from the Communist Party and will be prosecuted for crimes including bribery, the party said on Monday, the latest official caught up in a sweeping corruption crackdown.

Mr Liao stepped down from his posts as vice-chairman and non-executive director in March. He was the most senior of two vice-chairmen at PetroChina, China's top oil and gas producer, making him the company's second-highest ranking official.

The party's graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said that Mr Liao abused his position to help with job promotions, took "enormous" bribes a…