The former Communist Party of boss of Shanghai, the most senior party official to be sacked in a decade, has been removed from the National People's Congress (NPC), AP reported, citing Caijing magazine. The move, made by the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress on Tuesday, brings Chen Liangyu one step closer to formal legal prosecution. AP also claimed that news of Chen's dismissal was posted on the web site of a state-run television station but later taken down. Chen has been under investigation for about a year, after being accused of overseeing the misuse of US$400 million in Shanghai city pension funds. The money was improperly invested in real estate and toll road projects. The Shanghai government said in May that all the misused funds had been recovered, but it has yet to announce any results of the investigation into Chen.