A former mayor of Wuhan, the Chinese city where COVID-19 first broke out, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for bribery.

The Shangqiu Intermediate People's Court in Henan province sentenced Zhou Xianwang on Saturday, the Associated Press reported via ABC News. The court also fined him 5 million yuan, about $747,000.

The court said Zhou used his positions to help others with business operations and government approvals from 2003 to May 2025. In return, he accepted money and gifts, China Daily reported. His illegal gains will be taken by the state.

"Zhou Xianwang took advantage of his various positions… to assist relevant entities and individuals with matters such as securing engineering contracts," the court said, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

Zhou was mayor of Wuhan when the coronavirus outbreak began in late 2019. He was widely criticized for how the city handled the early stages. In early 2020, he admitted on state TV that the city had not shared information quickly enough.

But the court statement did not mention the outbreak at all, the AP noted. It focused only on bribes.

China Daily described Zhou by his later title, a former vice chairman of the Hubei provincial political advisory body. He was placed under investigation in July last year.

China's leader Xi Jinping has run a long anti-corruption campaign. It has punished more than a million officials. Supporters say it cleans up government. Critics say it is also used to remove rivals. Zhou can appeal the sentence to a higher court.

What we know: A Chinese court sentenced former Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang to 14 years in prison and fined him 5 million yuan for taking bribes.
What we don't: Whether his handling of the early COVID-19 outbreak played any role, since the court did not mention it.