Two senior officials in Shanghai have been dismissed from their posts in the city's legislative body, the standing committee of the municipal people's congress said Thursday.

Sun Luyi, a deputy secretary-general of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Shanghai Municipal Committee, was dismissed for alleged "crimes", according to the committee.

Chen Chaoxian, head of Changning District government in downtown Shanghai, was dismissed for "seriously violating discipline".

Sun and Chen, who are under investigation, had earlier been stripped off their party and government posts.

The committee gave no further details of the allegations against them, but earlier media reports said they were implicated for their alleged roles in the city's social security fund scandal.

The central government has sent investigators to trace 3.2 billion yuan (US$407.6 million) that was siphoned off the Shanghai pension fund for illicit loans and investments. Dozens of city officials and business people, including Chen Liangyu, Secretary of CPC's Shanghai Municipal Committee, have been sacked and put under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2006)