Former Wuhan Mayor Sentenced to 14 Years for Bribery

A former mayor of Wuhan, the Chinese city initially at the center of the coronavirus outbreak, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for bribery.

The Shangqiu Intermediate People's Court convicted Zhou Xianwang of accepting money and valuables totaling more than 60.5 million yuan (approximately $9 million) between 2003 and 2025. The court also fined him 5 million yuan ($747,000).

According to the court statement, Zhou used his various positions to assist others with matters such as business operations and administrative approvals. The court stated that the amount accepted was exceptionally large. However, the sentence was reduced due to Zhou's confession, cooperation with authorities, and the recovery of most of the proceeds.

The court's statement did not mention Zhou's handling of the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, a period for which he had previously drawn criticism. In addressing allegations of failure to disclose information early in the pandemic, Zhou had previously stated that local governments in China are restricted from releasing information about infectious diseases without authorization.

In December 2019, initial cases of patients with flu-like symptoms began appearing in Wuhan hospitals. A Chinese lab soon after identified a virus similar to the one that caused the 2002-03 SARS outbreak and alerted health authorities. However, information was reportedly kept from the public. By mid-January 2020, internal meetings suggested human-to-human transmission was possible, and emergency preparations were ordered, though public statements downplayed the virus's infectiousness. Wuhan was placed under a 76-day lockdown starting January 23, 2020, as infections spread.

Government anti-corruption drives have been a significant policy under Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012, leading to the purging of thousands of officials.