ZHENGZHOU - Zhou Yizhong, former mayor of Kaifeng in Central China's Henan province, resigned as a national legislator following allegations of corruption and bribery.

On Friday, the Standing Committee of Henan People's Congress approved Zhou's resignation as a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislative body.

Zhou is accused of having taken significant amounts of money as bribes from individuals involved in the real estate business and local officials while serving as the major of Kaifeng and vice secretary of the Communist Party of China Committee of Nanyang, another city in Henan, according to a statement from the provincial discipline watchdog.

Zhou was removed from his official post and placed under detention for corruption probe in May. Earlier this month, Ji Bingwei was elected as the new mayor of Kaifeng.