On Tuesday, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the country’s top anti-corruption body, said Zhou Xianwang was being investigated for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law” – the standard euphemism for corruption.
Zhou was best known for defending the city authorities’ widely criticised response to the early stages of the pandemic, including the decision to delay the announcement that a new virus had been detected in the city in late December 2019.
His defence included a rare admission by a local official that their authority to respond to the pandemic was constrained by higher authorities.
In late January 2020, Zhou told state broadcaster CCTV that “as a local government official, I can only disclose information after receiving it and being authorised”.
Wuhan went into lockdown three days after a meeting of the State Council, China’s cabinet, on January 20 that told local authorities to take responsibility for their own areas. Zhou told CCTV that “our work became much more proactive” after that meeting.
