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HEALTH-VIRUS-CHINA-POLITICS
Former Wuhan official charged with corruption
BEIJING, March 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – A former senior official in the
epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak in China has been charged with
corruption, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Cai Jie was secretary general of the Communist Party municipal committee
in Wuhan city before being sacked in February, part of a slew of sackings
among party officials in Hubei province.
The virus — which emerged in the provincial capital Wuhan in December
last year — has now killed more than 3,100 people in China.
China’s top prosecutor, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, said in a
statement that Cai had been arrested on charges of taking bribes and abuse of
power.
He was removed from his post in late February.
Provincial disciplinary officials said at the time he was removed that he
had taken “advantage of his position to seek benefits for others and
illegally procured huge amounts of funds and property.”
It also said he was accused of illegally allocating government funds to
private companies.
Last month a number of top political leaders of the virus-stricken
province were culled, as criticism swirled over the way the outbreak had been
being handled.
Jiang Chaoliang, Hubei’s party secretary, was replaced by Shanghai mayor
Ying Yong, while Wuhan party chief Ma Guoqiang was axed.
Hubei’s two most senior health officials were also fired, while a top Red
Cross official in Wuhan was sacked for dereliction of duty.
Pressure on local officials for their perceived incompetence mounted after
the death of a Chinese doctor who was punished by Wuhan authorities for
raising the alarm about the new virus.
Wuhan authorities also faced criticism for going ahead with an annual
public banquet for 40,000 families just days before the city was placed on
lockdown.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1810HRS