N環球 
Wuhan ex-mayor Zhou Xianwang jailed 14 years for taking 60.5 million yuan in bribes
A court in Henan sentenced former Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang to 14 years in prison and a 5 million yuan fine on Oct 10; the court found he took over 60.5 million yuan in bribes between 2003 and 2025, with a lighter sentence for confession and cooperation.
Why it matters
Zhou was Wuhan's mayor when COVID-19 broke out and was widely criticized for the city's sluggish early response. His sentencing is another high-profile fall in Xi Jinping's anti-corruption drive — yet the court's statement made no mention of the pandemic, focusing solely on bribery.
Full report
According to the court statement, the Shangqiu Intermediate People's Court found that Zhou used his various positions to help others with business operations and administrative approvals, illegally accepting money and valuables totaling more than 60.5 million yuan (about US$9 million) between 2003 and 2025 — an exceptionally large amount.
The court also imposed a fine of 5 million yuan (about US$747,000). Because he confessed, pleaded guilty, cooperated with investigators, and most of the proceeds were recovered, the court reduced his sentence in accordance with the law.
Zhou was placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in July 2025 and expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed from public office in January 2026. His tenure as Wuhan mayor (2018–2021) coincided with the COVID-19 outbreak; he was criticized for slow early disclosure of information, though the verdict did not address it.
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