Former Wuhan mayor Zhou jailed 14 years for bribery
SCMP · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
A court in Shangqiu, Henan, sentenced former Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of bribery, and also imposed a 5 million yuan fine. The court said Zhou used a series of official posts between 2003 and 2025, including Wuhan mayor and Hubei vice-governor, to help companies and individuals with project contracts, business operations and administrative approvals. In return, he accepted cash and property worth more than 60.5 million yuan, which the court described as an exceptionally large amount. The ruling has renewed focus on Zhou because he was one of the most visible local officials during Wuhan’s early handling of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Key Points
- Shangqiu Intermediate People’s Court in Henan tried the case on July 9 and announced Zhou’s 14-year sentence on Saturday, together with a 5 million yuan fine.
- The court said Zhou abused positions held from 2003 to May 2025, helping others secure engineering contracts, business operations and administrative approvals.
- In exchange, Zhou accepted money and property worth more than 60.5 million yuan, or about US$9 million, according to the court statement.
- The court said Zhou confessed, returned illicit gains and therefore received a lighter punishment despite the exceptionally large amount involved
- Zhou was investigated in July last year and had also served in senior Hubei roles, including vice-governor and a provincial political advisory post from 2021 to 2023.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the sentence is notable because it brings back into view one of the best-known mainland officials from the first phase of the pandemic, a period closely followed in the city. It also shows that Beijing’s anti-corruption drive continues to reach former provincial and municipal leaders years after they left the posts that made them nationally prominent.