China's anti-graft watchdog investigates former Wuhan party chief Wang Zhonglin
Wang Zhonglin took charge of Wuhan in February 2020, weeks into the COVID-19 outbreak, and later rose to lead Hubei province.
China's anti-graft watchdog has placed Wang Zhonglin under investigation. Wang was the official sent to run Wuhan in the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Straits Times and CNA reported the move on Friday.
In a statement released on Friday, 13 November, the watchdog said Wang, 64, is suspected of "serious violations of discipline and law". Both outlets described the phrase as a common euphemism for corruption. The Straits Times carried the story from Reuters. Neither outlet reported details of what Wang is alleged to have done.
Wang was appointed top official of Wuhan, the capital of the central province of Hubei, in February 2020. He replaced Ma Guoqiang, who was removed from the post amid criticism of the city's initial handling of the outbreak.
He became governor of Hubei in 2021. Three years later he was promoted to the province's Communist Party chief, its highest-ranking official. He is also a member of the party's elite Central Committee.
Earlier this year Wang was moved out of a frontline political role after he was named to a senior post in China's national parliament, which both outlets described as largely rubber-stamp.
According to the reports, a number of senior officials who served in Hubei during the pandemic have been purged. In May, an investigation was opened into Wang Xiaodong, a former governor of the province.
Jiang Chaoliang, a former Hubei party chief, received a suspended death sentence for bribery in August.
Zhou Xianwang, Wuhan's former mayor, was sentenced in October to 14 years in prison over corruption.
Sources: The Straits Times, COVID-era Wuhan party boss under investigation, says China's anti-graft watchdog; CNA, COVID-era Wuhan party boss under investigation, says China's anti-graft watchdog.
