Fallen Chinese politician Bo to face trial on August 22
Beijing Bo Xilai, a former strongman of the ruling Communist Party who was purged last year over a major scandal, will face an "open trial" on August 22 on charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, Chinese state media said on Sunday. Bo, former boss of the Communist Party in Chongqing city, had been expelled from the ruling party after a scandal surrounding the murder of a British businessman. The 64-year-old is currently in detention and denied the allegations and refused to cooperate with the investigators. Bo will stand "open trial" at the Jinan Intermediate People's Court next week for charges of bribery, graft and abuse of power, official Xinhua news agency quoted an announcement by the court in eastern China's Shandong province as saying.
"The open trial will start on August 22," the report said. Until his downfall, the charismatic leader was a member of the the Communist Party's top policy-making body Politburo. Bo also served as mayor of Dalian city, governor of northeastern Liaoning Province and the country's Minister of Commerce. His wife Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence last August for the killing of businessman Neil Heywood. Like the trial of his wife, officials once close to Bo said his trial was expected to last for a day and speculation is rife that like he too may get a suspended death sentence. The scandal involving Bo rocked the communist nation with claims of corruption at the top of the party just months ahead of once-in-a-decade leadership change.
Bo was also charged with taking advantage of his position as a civil servant to seek gains for others, as well as accepted bribes in the form of large amounts of money and property, according to the indictment. His defending counsel has delivered its opinion, the prosecutors the report said without mentioning what his defence counsel's stand in the case.
The Supreme People's Procuratorate has decided to open an investigation into the case of Liu and has imposed "compulsory measures" on him. Liu, a former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, was dismissed from his post in May and removed from the CPC over suspected involvement in "serious disciplinary violations."
He "took advantage of his position to seek profits for others, and both Liu and his family accepted huge amount of bribes," Xinhua reported. Bo was regarded until last year as one of most powerful Chinese leader, challenging the reformist orientation of the ruling Communist Party of China playing up on the discarded ideology of Party's founder Mao Zedong.
He was ousted from power after his close aide and police chief of Chongqing city Wang Lijun sought refuge in US Consulate in Chengdu apprehending trouble over investigations into Bo's wife Gu Kailai in the murder of the British national. Bo was projected as a front runner for the 7-member Standing Committee of the CPC which was elected last November after a once in a decade leadership change brining new leadership headed by President Xi Jinping. "Bo Xilai might have thought he would escape punishment for his corruption. Some other officials holding significant power might think the same. But after waves of anti-corruption drives, their hubris may be diminished. The cases of Bo Xilai and former rail chief Liu Zhijun, (who is given death sentence) will ring like an alarm bell at all levels of officialdom," state-run Global Times daily said in an editorial.