The mayor of Nanjing, Ji Jianye, has been removed from his post as China's new leaders continue their crackdown on graft, the South China Morning Post reported on Sunday. Ji was fired for "suspected serious disciplinary violations", the official Xinhua news agency was quoted as saying. The decision was made by the Organisation Department of the Communist Party's Central Committee, it said. The dismissal came two days after the ruling party's corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, revealed that Ji had been placed under internal investigation. Ji, 56, had been mayor of Nanjing since late 2009. He is also a deputy Communist Party chief of Nanjing, which has a population of about eight million. According to a People's Daily online report, Ji's case may have involved over 20 million yuan (US$3.3 million). It quoted sources as saying that Ji awarded projects to a company he had ties with.