A joint investigation team in Shiyan, Hubei province, announced disciplinary actions on Friday against those responsible for fabricating public bidding projects and issuing false winning bids, following public scrutiny over the use of online usernames in official documents.

According to the investigation report, in February and December 2025, two county-owned enterprises in Zhuxi fictitiously created one avenue upgrade project and one machinery equipment leasing project. The purpose was to obtain 5 million yuan ($708,560) in funding due to corporate financial difficulties.

The investigation found that the Zhuxi Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau assisted these enterprises in the fraudulent activities.

Furthermore, a local bidding agency, which is also a county-owned enterprise, used pseudonyms adapted from online usernames to publish false bid-winning announcements for these non-existent projects.

The report stated that no evidence of personal profiteering was discovered. The relevant funds were used for other construction projects and have now been fully recovered.

These actions were deemed to have seriously violated work discipline and relevant laws and regulations, resulting in a negative social impact.

Following the investigation, disciplinary measures such as inner-Party warnings, major administrative demerits, and removals from their posts were imposed on eight individuals, including the executive deputy county head and the county's housing and urban-rural development bureau director.

The Zhuxi county Party committee and government have been ordered to conduct a thorough review, implement serious rectifications, and establish a regular supervision and inspection mechanism for projects to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.

The investigation team is now conducting a comprehensive review of related issues and will handle any further violations according to regulations and laws.