Prosecutors accused ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai of using his wife and son as intermediaries in netting more than $4 million in corruption, as the disgraced populist stood trial Thursday in one of the final chapters of China’s biggest political scandal in decades.
In microblog updates on the proceedings issued by court officials in a rare show of openness for such a high-profile political trial, Bo denied some of the allegations, saying that he never accepted bribes from a development corporation official in the northeastern city of Dalian as accused.
“I hope the judge will reasonably and fairly judge, and judge this according to the laws of our country,” Bo was quoted as saying in one of the Sina Weibo posts by the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court.
Once the powerful party boss in the megacity of Chongqing, the charismatic Bo became the most senior leader to fall from power in years after revelations emerged early last year that his wife had killed a British businessman, making the Bo family an international diplomatic liability for the Chinese leadership.
The charges against him include abuse of power in covering up that murder, as well as bribery and embezzlement. The charges appear carefully calibrated to lay blame on the self-serving actions of Bo and his family and provide enough culpability to bury his political career, while avoiding broader allegations that could expose Communist Party infighting or show the impunity with which top Chinese officials operate before they fall from favor.
Prosecutors gave new details of the allegations against Bo and his family, including accusations that Bo used both his wife, Gu Kailai, and his son, Bo Guagua, as intermediaries in accepting more than $3 million in bribes while he held key posts in Dalian.
They also alleged that Bo instructed an underling to keep quiet a payment to the city of $800,000, and that Bo diverted it into personal funds with the help of his wife, according to the Jinan court updates.
Although reporters from foreign media outlets were kept from the courtroom, official said 19 journalists attended the proceedings, and the court’s Weibo posts reflected confidence by party officials that they could keep a lid on any serious damage to the party’s reputation stemming from the Bo scandal.
Disgraced politician Bo Xilai goes on trial in China
Prosecutors accused ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai of using his wife and son as intermediaries in netting more than $4 million in corruption, as the disgraced populist stood trial Thursday.
Source: AP
