Former Wuhan official charged with corruption

A former senior official in the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak in China has been charged with corruption, prosecutors said on 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."