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Shandong court in China has rejected the appeal of former politician Bo Xilai and upheld his life sentence for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.
The former Chongqing Communist Party leader was convicted of the charges in September.
Bo Xilai was removed from office in 2012 amid a scandal which saw his wife Gu Kailai convicted of a British businessman’s murder.
The high court in Shandong, the province where Bo Xilai’s trial was held, accepted his appeal earlier this month.
“The facts of the first instance verdict are clear, the evidence is reliable, sufficient and the sentence is appropriate,” the high court said in its ruling, which was posted on its website.
“The court rules as follows: reject the appeal, uphold the original verdict. This verdict is the final ruling.”
The hearing appeared to have been brief, with the verdict coming about an hour after a convoy believed to be carrying Bo Xilai was seen arriving at the court.
Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed Bo Xilai’s elder son, Li Wangzhi, in court with other relatives.
Shandong court has rejected the appeal of Bo Xilai and upheld his life sentence for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power
Bo Xilai only receives one chance to appeal and his sentence is now final. He could submit a complaint to the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing, but the vast majority of such complaints are rejected and do not result in another trial.
Correspondents said few expected Bo Xilai’s conviction to be overturned. The courts are controlled by the ruling Communist Party, from which Bo Xilai was expelled from last year.
Bo Xilai, the charismatic former party chief in the city of Chongqing in south-western China, was a member of the powerful politburo – one of the 25 most senior party officials in the country.
But he was removed from office last year amid a scandal which began when his deputy, Wang Lijun, sought refuge in the US consulate in Chengdu.
The incident prompted an investigation into the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, was eventually convicted of Neil Heywood’s murder – a crime caused, the court said, by a financial dispute.
Wang Lijun was also jailed for 15 years for helping Gu Kailai cover up the murder.
Bo Xilai himself was found guilty of taking bribes amounting to 20 million yuan ($3.3 million) either personally or through his family. He was also accused of abusing his office by using his position to cover up for his wife’s crime.
His supporters, however, believe he is the victim of a political purge. His downfall came as China prepared for its once-in-a-decade leadership transfer, as one generation of leaders made way for the next.
Bo Xilai had been seen as a candidate for the very top, until his fall from grace. It was the biggest political shake-up to hit China’s ruling elite in decades.
The final verdict in the Bo Xilai case comes weeks before the Communist Party holds a major meeting in November to set economic policy.
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Bo Xilai has accused his ex-police chief Wang Lijun of lying over allegations of abuse of power.
Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai launched a scathing attack on Wang Lijun, his former associate in the central city of Chongqing, saying his testimony was “full of lies and fraud”.
The trial, in its fourth day in the city on Jinan, was later adjourned until Monday.
Bo Xilai, a former Communist Party chief in Chongqing, denies wrongdoing.
The scandals involving Bo Xilai’s family have captivated the country.
Many analysts assume the outcome of the trial has been predetermined with a guilty verdict, however, observers say Bo Xilai has put up a spirited defense.
Foreign media are not allowed into the trial, but the court in the eastern city of Jinan has been posting regular updates on China’s micro-blogging site Weibo (in Mandarin).
On Saturday the trial focused on accusations that Bo Xilai covered up the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in 2011.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, has already been convicted of murdering Neil Heywood.
Former police chief Wang Lijun testified against Bo Xilai on Saturday
Wang Lijun had been a key figure in court on Saturday, testifying that Bo Xilai had punched him after he told the politician his wife was responsible for the death of Neil Heywood
But Bo Xilai told the court on Sunday: “His character is extremely bad, he created rumors… and threw dust in the public’s eyes.
“It’s beneath legal credibility to present such a person as a key witness. Wang Lijun was lying during the trial and his testimony was not valid at all. His testimony was full of lies and fraud.”
He added: “He said I hit him with my fist instead of slapping him in the face. But the truth is I never learned the technique of Chinese boxing so I wouldn’t be able to have that power.”
On Saturday, Bo Xilai acknowledged he made “serious errors of judgement” but that the charges against him were “exaggerated”.
The abuse of office charge stems from accusations that Bo Xilai knew and covered up the fact that his wife murdered Neil Heywood.
Bo Xilai told the court he had discussed the accusations with her, and his wife told him that she was being framed for the murder.
He also described two difficult meetings he had with Wang Lijun on 28 and 29 January 2012.
Days after this confrontation, Wang Lijun fled to a US consulate to seek asylum, and the scandal became public knowledge.
Wang Lijun has already stood trial for his own actions and been jailed for 15 years, for defection, power abuse and bribe-taking.
Gu Kailai has also testified against her husband. On Friday, Bo Xilai described his wife as “insane” because she had implicated him in corruption.
She claimed that wealthy Chinese entrepreneur Xu Ming bought gifts for the family in order to gain favors.
Bo Xilai is also accused of embezzling 5 million yuan ($800,000) in 2000 which had been earmarked for a construction project in Dalian. Bo Xilai was the city’s mayor in the 1990s.
But at Saturday’s hearing Bo Xilai blamed his wife Gu Kailai for this, saying he had no knowledge that she had taken the money until later on.
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Chinese parliament has formally expelled disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the top legislature, state media has announced.
The move strips the ex-Chongqing party leader of immunity from prosecution.
Bo Xilai was expelled from the Communist Party last month. State media said he was accused of abuse of power, bribe-taking and violating party discipline.
His wife, Gu Kailai, was jailed in August for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Bo Xilai’s former deputy, police chief Wang Lijun, has also been jailed in connection with the scandal, which came as China prepared for its 10-yearly power transition.
Legislators are due to meet on 8 November for a Congress at which the new top leaders will be unveiled.
The move to strip Bo Xilai of his last official position had been expected.
“The Standing Committee of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Friday announced the termination of Bo Xilai’s post as the NPC deputy,” said the brief statement from Xinhua news agency.
The action means that a criminal case against Bo Xilai – a former high-flier once tipped for the top echelons of power – can move ahead.
When he was expelled from the party last month, a statement said his “suspected law violations” would be transferred to “judicial organs”. A timescale for this process and any subsequent trial have not been announced.
Bo Xilai has not been seen in public since the investigation into him and his family was announced.
On Thursday the Washington Post, citing two people close to his wife’s family, said his relatives had been warned not to hire lawyers for him.
The investigation into Bo Xilai was triggered when Wang Lijun fled to the US consulate in Chongqing and implicated Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, in the death of Neil Heywood.
Gu Kailai was subsequently given a suspended death sentence for his murder after a one-day trial. Wang Lijun has been jailed for 15 years on a number of charges.
Bo Xilai had been seen as a leading candidate for a position in the party’s top decision-making body – the Standing Committee of the politburo – in the leadership change set for next month.
A charismatic lawmaker, his populist policies, crackdown on crime and promotion of “red” culture – harking back to the Mao Zedong era – brought him supporters.
His downfall was seen as exposing divisions between more reformist and more left-leaning groupings among China’s top leaders.
A group of leftists in China have written an open letter asking parliament not to expel disgraced leader Bo Xilai.
The letter, signed by more than 300 academics and former officials, was carried on the left-wing Chinese-language website Red China.
It said the move was legally questionable and politically motivated.
China’s leftists are a small but vocal group to whom Bo Xilai’s populist policies appealed.
Expulsion from parliament would remove Bo Xilai’s immunity, meaning he could be prosecuted over the scandal that has seen his wife Gu Kailai jailed.
Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence earlier this year over the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Bo Xilai’s former police chief and right-hand man Wang Lijun has also been jailed in connection with the scandal.
More than 300 academics and former party officials signed the letter in support of the former Chongqing Communist Party leader.
“What is the reason provided for expelling Bo Xilai? Please investigate the facts and the evidence,” the letter said.
“Please announce to the people evidence that Bo Xilai will be able to defend himself in accordance with the law.”
Those who signed include Li Chengrui, former director of the National Bureau of Statistics, a law professor at Peking University, local legislators, members of the now-closed online leftist forum Utopia, as well as a rights activist in Zhejiang.
Many Chinese internet users cannot access the Red China website, which has supported Bo Xilai, and the letter so far does not appear to have been reported in state media.
But the letter exposes the deep divisions that continue to exist within the party over the Bo Xilai affair.
Bo Xilai’s flamboyant populist style – including the promotion of old party songs and his policies for state-led growth – pitted him against reformist colleagues.
He has not been seen in public since mid-March, shortly after the scandal erupted and it was announced he was under investigation.
Bo Xilai was suspended from his party posts in April and expelled from the Communist Party in September. State media says he faces charges related to corruption, abuse of power and bribe-taking.
His wife Gu Kailai was convicted of killing Neil Heywood after a multi-million dollar business deal turned sour.
But supporters maintain that Bo Xilai’s enemies have used this scandal to end his career for political reasons.
Bo Xilai, 63, had been a prime candidate for a top post in the leadership handover set for next month before the scandal broke.
Wang Lijun, the ex-police chief at the heart of China’s biggest political scandal in years, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail.
Wang Lijun was jailed for ”bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribetaking”, Xinhua said.
His flight in February to a US consulate led to the downfall of his ex-boss, top politician Bo Xilai.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted in August of killing British businessman Neil Heywood. Wang Lijun was accused of helping in a cover-up.
Wang Lijun – the former chief of police in the city of Chongqing, where Bo Xilai was Communist Party leader – had faced up to 20 years in jail, but prosecutors called his co-operation “meritorious service”.
The ”combined term” of 15 years in prison included nine years for bribery, seven for bending the law, two for defection and two for abuse of power, state television reported.
Wang Lijun has been sentenced to 15 years in jail
”We decided to sentence him to 15 years altogether on all the four charges and deprive [him of] his political rights for one year,” court spokesman Yang Yuquan told reporters.
”Wang Lijun said he wouldn’t appeal after hearing the verdict,” Yang Yuquan said.
The verdict was ”in accordance with the law”, he added, saying three of Wang Lijun’s relatives were at the hearing.
Wang’s lawyer, Wang Yuncai, also told the Associated Press that the sentence was ”considered normal” under Chinese law.
The verdict comes as China prepares to select new leaders in coming weeks.
It is due to hold a party congress that will see major changes in the top echelons of leadership, although specific dates have not been announced.
Wang’s trial took place last week in Chengdu. A court official said after the two-day hearing that he had not contested the charges.
The indictment against Wang said he knew that Gu Kailai was a murder suspect.
Wang Lijun, however, ”bent the law” by appointing Guo Weiguo – the deputy chief of Chongqing’s Public Security Bureau and ”a close friend” of both Wang and Gu – to oversee the case , a Xinhua report said.
Wang Lijun hid a recording of Gu Kailai’s account of the killing from the police, the report added.
But conflict arose between Wang Lijun and Gu Kailai, after which Wang told investigators to ”re-collect, sort through and carefully keep the evidence” from the case, the report said.
During his term in Chongqing Wang had also committed other offences, including illegally releasing four suspects in return for property and money totaling more than 3 million yuan ($476,000), Xinhua said.
Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence for the crime. At a separate trial on 10 August, four senior police officers from Chongqing admitted covering up evidence linking her to the murder and were jailed for between five and 11 years.
Bo Xilai has not been seen in public since the scandal erupted and is said to be under investigation by the Communist party’s disciplinary officials. He has been removed from his official posts.
But it is not known whether the former party chief – who was tipped for promotion to the top ranks before his downfall – will face criminal charges himself.
At Wang Lijun’s trial last week, Bo Xilai was said to have reacted with anger when the police chief told him of his wife’s involvement in the murder of Neil Heywood, “boxing the ears” of his former ally.
Bo Xilai’s populist brand of politics – an authoritarian crackdown on corruption coupled with the promotion of old communist values – is said to have made him enemies.
They may be pushing for a criminal trial that removes him from the political landscape for a very long time.
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China’s state-run news agency has linked fallen politician Bo Xilai to a criminal act for the first time, alleging he knew his wife Gu Kailai was suspected of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood.
Xinhua quoted witnesses at the trial of his former right-hand man, Wang Lijun, suggesting that Wang had tried to tell Bo Xilai about his suspicions.
Wang Lijun was “angrily rebuked and had his ears boxed”, Xinhua reports.
Bo Xilai’s downfall exposed the biggest political crisis in China for years.
His wife, Gu Kailai, was found guilty in August of murdering Neil Heywood. She was given a suspended death sentence.
Bo Xilai has been linked to a criminal act for the first time, as he knew his wife Gu Kailai murdered Neil Heywood
Wang Lijun was the former police chief and deputy mayor in Chongqing, where Bo Xilai was Communist Party chief until the scandal erupted.
Earlier this week Wang Lijun pleaded guilty to defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking charges during a two-day trial in the nearby city of Chengdu. A verdict is awaited.
He tried to tell “the Chongqing party committee’s main responsible person at the time” about his suspicions about Gu Kailai, says Xinhua in its official published account of his trial, without naming Bo Xilai.
As Chongqing Communist Party chief, Bo Xilai was tipped for promotion to the top leadership ranks at China’s forthcoming leadership congress before his downfall.
Wang Lijun’s flight to a US consulate in Chengdu in February sparked the events which led to his downfall.
According to the UK Foreign Office, Wang Lijun made allegations about Neil Heywood’s death while at the US consulate.
Shortly afterwards, Bo Xilai was sacked.
He has not been seen in public since the scandal erupted and is said to be under investigation by the party’s disciplinary officials.
Wang Lijun, 52, began his career in law enforcement in the Inner Mongolia Region in 1984 and moved to the south-western city of Chongqing in 2008.
Chinese ex-police chief Wang Lijun did not contest the charges against him, court officials have said today during his second day of trial.
The Chengdu trial of Wang Lijun for defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking began in secret on Monday and ended on Tuesday.
The verdict would be given at a later date, court officials said.
Wang Lijun’s flight to a US consulate in February sparked events leading to the downfall of top politician Bo Xilai.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, was later convicted of killing the British businessman Neil Heywood and given a suspended death sentence, after a trial that lasted a day.
Wang Lijun is charged with helping cover up her crime.
The Chengdu trial of Wang Lijun for defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking began in secret on Monday and ended on Tuesday
China said Tuesday’s session was “public” but while state television may broadcast pictures later, access to the Intermediate People’s Court was tightly controlled and foreign media were kept outside.
But after the case ended a court official read out a statement saying the defendant did not contest the charges – leaving little doubt that the verdict, when it comes, will be a guilty one.
Although there was only moderate police presence outside the court, the sensitivity of the case was demonstrated by the fact the first day’s hearing was held in secret, because it involved issues of national security, said Wang Lijun’s lawyer, Wang Yuncai, who is not related to her client.
A brief report in state media said Wang Lijun was standing trial for ”bribe-taking and bending the law for selfish ends”.
”The Chengdu City Intermediate People’s Court held a closed-door trial Monday on Wang’s two other charges of defection and abuse of power,” said the Xinhua news agency report.
Earlier Chinese state media reports said the evidence against Wang Lijun was “concrete and abundant”.
The indictment against him said he knew that Gu Kailai was a murder suspect, but “consciously neglected his duty and bent the law for personal gain”, Xinhua reported.
According to the UK Foreign Office, Wang Lijun made allegations about Neil Heywood’s death while at the US consulate in Chengdu.
Shortly afterwards, Bo Xilai was sacked. Gu Kailai was accused and convicted in August of the murder of Neil Heywood.
Chinese media have been quiet on the trial and searches for Wang Lijun’s name and related terms have mostly been blocked on China’s Twitter-like weibo microblogs.
However, netizens have been using pseudonyms such as “head nurse” – a term that puns on ”deputy mayor” in Chinese – to make comments. Wang Lijun was the deputy mayor of Chongqing.
A microblog user in Guangzhou said: “Good luck, head nurse.”
“There should be a public holiday today, and the head nurse’s trial should be broadcast live on TV so people can have a chance to learn what is the rule of law,” said a microblog user in southern Zhuhai city.
The trial comes ahead of a key party leadership congress in China, expected in the coming weeks.
Wang Lijun’s flight to the US consulate proved an embarrassment for China and threw up issues involving diplomacy and state secrets, analysts say.
But most analysts expect him to be given a suspended death sentence, similar to the one handed to Gu Kailai.
At a separate trial on 10 August, four senior police officers from Chongqing admitted to charges of covering up evidence linking Gu Kailai to the murder. A court official said they had been given terms of between five and 11 years in prison, AFP reported.
Bo Xilai, Wang Lijun’s former boss in Chongqing, had been tipped for promotion to the top leadership ranks at the party congress before his downfall.
He has not been seen in public since the scandal erupted and is said to be under investigation by the party’s disciplinary officials. It is not clear if he will face any criminal charges himself.
Wang Lijun, 52, began his career in law enforcement in the Inner Mongolia Region in 1984 and moved to the southwestern city of Chongqing in 2008.
He had a reputation for being tough on organized crime and was once the subject of a TV drama called Iron-Blooded Police Spirits.
The trial of ex-police chief Wang Lijun, who was at the heart of China’s biggest political scandal in years, has resumed, after it began in secret on Monday.
Wang Lijun is charged with defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking.
The trial was due to begin Tuesday but began earlier, unannounced, at a court in the southern city of Chengdu.
Wang Lijun’s flight to the US consulate in the city in February triggered events leading to the downfall of powerful politician Bo Xilai.
On the second day of the hearing, foreign journalists will not be given access to the public part of the trial.
The trial had been expected to start on Tuesday, but Wang Lijun’s lawyer Wang Yuncai, who is not related to her client, said the hearing had started at 08:30 local time on Monday.
The trial of ex-police chief Wang Lijun has resumed, after it began in secret on Monday
A brief report in state media said Wang Lijun is standing trial for ”bribe-taking and bending the law for selfish ends” on Tuesday.
”The Chengdu City Intermediate People’s Court held a closed-door trial Monday on Wang’s two other charges of defection and abuse of power,” the Xinhua news agency report said.
On Tuesday, security officials stood guard outside the court.
It is not clear how long Wang Lijun’s trial will last but that of Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, lasted a day.
According to the UK Foreign Office, Wang Lijun made allegations about Neil Heywood’s death while at the US consulate.
Shortly afterwards, Bo Xilai was sacked and Gu Kailai was accused and convicted of the murder of Neil Heywood and given a suspended death sentence.
Chinese media has been quiet on the trial and searches for Wang Lijun’s name and related terms have mostly been blocked on China’s Twitter-like weibo microblogs.
However, netizens have been using pseudonyms such as “head nurse” – a term that puns on ”deputy mayor” in Chinese – to make comments. Wang Lijun was the deputy mayor of Chongqing.
A microblog user in Guangzhou said: “Good luck, head nurse.”
“There should be a public holiday today, and the head nurse’s trial should be broadcast live on TV so people can have a chance to learn what is the rule of law,” said a microblog user in southern Zhuhai city.
The trial is taking place ahead of a key party leadership congress in China, expected in the coming weeks.
Earlier Chinese state media reports said the evidence against Wang Lijun was “concrete and abundant”.
The indictment against him said he knew that Gu Kailai was a murder suspect, but “consciously neglected his duty and bent the law for personal gain”, Xinhua news agency reported.
Wangn Lijun’s flight to the US consulate had proved an embarrassment for China and threw up issues involving diplomacy and state secrets, analysts say.
But most analysts expect him to be given a suspended death sentence, similar to the one meted out to Gu Kailai, reports say.
At a separate trial on 10 August, four senior police officers from Chongqing admitted to charges of covering up evidence linking Gu to the murder. A court official said they had been given terms of between five and 11 years in prison, AFP reported.
Bo Xilai, Wang Lijun’s former boss in Chongqing, had been tipped for promotion to the top leadership ranks at the party congress before his downfall.
He has not been seen in public since the scandal erupted. He is said to be under investigation by the party’s disciplinary officials.
Wang Lijun, 52, began his career in law enforcement in the Inner Mongolia Region in 1984 and moved to the southwestern city of Chongqing in 2008.
He had a reputation for being tough on organized crime and was once the subject of a TV drama called Iron-Blooded Police Spirits.
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Wang Lijun, the former police chief at the centre of China’s biggest political scandal in years, will be tried in Chengdu next Tuesday, a Chinese court official said.
Wang Lijun is charged with defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking.
He triggered events leading to the downfall of powerful politician Bo Xilai when he briefly fled to a US consulate in February.
Bo Xilai’s wife has since been given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
“Wang Lijun’s case will be heard on 18 September,” an official at the Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court who was only identified by his surname, He, told reporters.
Wang Lijun will be tried in Chengdu next Tuesday
An earlier state media report said that the evidence against Wang Lijun was “concrete and abundant”.
The indictment against him said he knew that Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, was a murder suspect, but “consciously neglected his duty and bent the law for personal gain”, Xinhua news agency reported.
One report said the trial, which comes with China expected to hold its key party leadership congress in coming weeks, would last one day.
Bo Xilai, Wang Lijun’s former boss in Chongqing, had been tipped for promotion to the top leadership ranks at the party congress before his downfall.
He has not been seen in public since the scandal erupted. He is said to be under investigation by the party’s disciplinary officials.
Wang Lijun was seen as a loyal lieutenant of Bo Xilai, but in early February the Chongqing city government said Wang had been shifted to another job.
Four days later, he fled to the US consulate in nearby Chengdu, where many believe he sought asylum. He spent the night there but was persuaded to leave a day later. He gave himself up to police and has been in detention since then.
According to the UK Foreign Office, Wang Lijun made allegations about Neil Heywood’s death while at the consulate.
Shortly afterwards, Bo Xilai was sacked and his wife Gu Kailai was accused and later convicted of murdering Neil Heywood. Gu Kailai’s trial last month took only a day.
Wang Lijun, 52 began his career in law enforcement in the Inner Mongolia Region in 1984 and moved to the southwestern city of Chongqing in 2008.
He had a reputation for being tough on organized crime and was once the subject of a TV drama called Iron-Blooded Police Spirits.
Wang Lijun, former police chief at the centre of China’s biggest political scandal for years, has been charged with a number of offences, Chinese state media says.
Wang Lijun is charged with defection, abuse of power, and bribe-taking.
Wang Lijun is charged with defection, abuse of power, and bribe-taking
He briefly fled to a US consulate in February, triggering a series of events that led to the downfall of the powerful politician Bo Xilai.
Bo Xilai’s wife, Gu Kailai, has since been given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Bo Xilai had been tipped for promotion to China’s highest leadership this year.
Wang Lijun was the former police chief of the south-western Chinese city of Chongqing and had a reputation for being tough on organized crime.
In early February, the Chongqing city government said Wang Lijun had been shifted to another job.
Four days later, he fled to the US consulate in Chengdu, near Chongqing, where many believe he sought asylum.
He spent the night there but was persuaded to leave a day later. He gave himself up to police and has been in detention since then.
According to the UK Foreign Office, Wang Lijun made allegations about Neil Heywood’s death while at the consulate.
Shortly afterwards, Bo Xilai was sacked as Chongqing’s Communist party chief, and his wife Gu Kailai was accused and later convicted of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood.
The charges against Wang Lijun appear to be an attempt to bring the scandal to an end before China embarks on a change of leadership later this year.
Wang Lijun
- 52-year-old former deputy mayor and police chief of Chongqing in south-west China
- Closely identified with the former chief of Chongqing Communist Party, Bo Xilai
- Developed a reputation for being tough on organized crime
- Started his career in law enforcement in 1984 in the Inner Mongolia region; moved to Chongqing in 2008
- Was the subject of a TV drama Iron-Blooded Police Spirits
