COVID-era Wuhan party boss under investigation, says China's anti-graft watchdog

Wang Zhonglin, ​the former party chief of ​the central Chinese ‌province of ​Hubei and its capital, Wuhan, is under investigation for "suspected serious violations of discipline and law" - ‌a common euphemism for corruption - China's anti-graft watchdog said in a statement on Friday.

Wang, 64, was thrust into the spotlight in February 2020 during ‌the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he ‌was appointed top official of Wuhan. He replaced Ma Guoqiang, who was removed from the post amid criticism of the city's initial handling of the outbreak. Wang, also ⁠a ​member of ⁠the party's elite Central Committee, was promoted to governor of Hubei in 2021 and ⁠then in 2024 to its Communist Party chief, the province's highest-ranking official.

He was ​moved out of a frontline political role earlier this year ⁠after being named to a senior post in the country's largely rubber-stamp parliament. A ⁠number ​of senior officials who served in pandemic-era Hubei have been purged.

Former Hubei party chief Jiang Chaoliang received a suspended death ⁠sentence for bribery in August. A probe into former governor Wang Xiaodong ⁠was launched ⁠in May. Zhou Xianwang, Wuhan's former mayor, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in October over corruption.