Bo Xilai police chief goes on trial accused of defection and bribery

[Maxima]

Bo Xilai police chief goes on trial accused of defection and bribery

A former police chief linked to a disgraced leader at the centre of China's biggest political scandal in decades will stand trial on Tuesday on charges that include defection and bribery.

Former Chongqing Police Chief Wang Lijun Photo: AP

7:49AM BST 14 Sep 2012

The case of former Chongqing Police Chief Wang Lijun will be heard on Tuesday in an open trial, an official at the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court said Friday in a phone interview. The official said he had no further details and would only give his surname, He.

Wang has been charged with defection, bribe-taking, "bending the law for selfish ends" and abuse of power, though details have not been provided. State media announcements about his indictment have not mentioned Bo Xilai, his one-time boss, who was among China's top leaders before falling from power this year as a result of the scandal that Wang set off.

Wang fled to the US consulate in the nearby city of Chengdu in early February after being demoted by Bo, the city's powerful Communist Party boss.

During his overnight stay at the consulate, Wang expressed to theAmericans his concerns about last year's death of British businessman Neil Heywood in Chongqing. Heywood was a close business associate of the Bo family.

That prompted the British Embassy to request a new investigation, which uncovered that Heywood had been murdered. The case resulted in Bo's dismissal in March and the conviction last month of Bo's wife Gu Kailai for poisoning Heywood, apparently over a feud about money.

Gu was given a suspended death sentence. Three leading Chongqing police officers and a Bo family aide were also sentenced as accomplices in the murder and subsequent cover-up.

Bo remains under investigation by the ruling party's disciplinary branch for unspecified grave violations of discipline.

Shenyang-based attorney Wang Yuncai, reportedly a close friend of Wang's, had previously said she has been approved by the court to serve as Wang Lijun's defence lawyer. Reached by phone Friday, Wang Yuncai would only say she was in a meeting before hanging up.

In announcing Wang's indictment last week, the official Xinhua News Agency said Wang knew that Gu was under serious suspicion of murdering Heywood, but "consciously neglected his duty and bent the law for personal gain" so Gu would not be held responsible.

It also said Wang "left his post without authorisation and defected to the United States Consulate General in Chengdu." It is not known if he made a direct request for asylum, something US diplomats say they would not have been able to grant.

Wang had been Bo's right-hand man in Chongqing, spearheading a controversial crackdown on organised crime that critics say featured torture and other violations of procedure, as well as illegal confiscation of assets and the targeting of political opponents.

Source: agencies

 

[seesuatah]

Why this kind of things never happen to PAP cadres?

Are they aliens or what?

 

[Sun Wukong]

Tight security as China opens police chief trial

Police and security forces surrounded a courthouse in southwest China on Monday, ahead of the long-awaited trial of the mafia-busting cop at the centre of the Neil Heywood murder scandal.

Wang Lijun, former police chief and vice-mayor of Chongqing Photo: AP

By Tom Phillips, in Chengdu

8:34AM BST 17 Sep 2012

Wang Lijun, the flamboyant former police chief and vice-mayor of Chongqing, will enter the dock at Chengdu's Intermediate People's Court at 8am on Tuesday and the trial will last one day, local government official Si Beibei told the Telegraph.

According to state media he has been charged with "defection, abuse of power, violating the law for personal favor and accepting bribes." The trial comes seven months after Mr Wang made a sensational dash for Chengdu's United States consulate, triggering one of China's most serious political scandals in decades and a diplomatic crisis spanning three continents.

Mr Wang, 52, was once the right hand man and confident of Chongqing's powerful party chief Bo Xilai, whose wife, Gu Kailai, was given a suspended death sentence in August for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

But in February Mr Wang fled Chongqing and sought refugee in Chengdu's US consulate, where he is said to have revealed that Ms Gu had poisoned Mr Heywood. After over 30 hours inside, Mr Wang was forced to surrender to Chinese authorities but he had already set in motion a political scandal that continues to rock Beijing ahead of this year's crucial once-in-a-decade leadership transition.

On August 9, Ms Gu was tried for poisoning Mr Heywood, blaming her actions on a "mental breakdown" she had suffered after becoming addicted to "hypnotic drugs".

Ms Gu reportedly confessed to plotting Mr Heywood's murder after he threatened to "destroy" her son during a financial row, a claim disputed by friends of the British businessman. She did not contest claims she had lured Mr Heywood to a hotel room in Chongqing before poisoning him with cyanide.

During Ms Gu's trial details also emerged of Mr Wang's alleged involvement in an elaborate cover-up attempt. At one point Ms Gu's defense claimed Mr Wang and Ms Gu had conspired to have Mr Heywood shot and framed as a drug trafficker, according to one lawyer who was present at that trial.

So far Mr Bo has only been accused of violating "party discipline".

Si Beibei, a government propaganda official in Chengdu, said Mr Wang's trial would start at 8am on Tuesday and claimed the heavy presence of uniformed and plainclothes police outside the courthouse on Monday was a "security rehearsal".

China's state-run media has praised authorities for allowing Mr Wang an "open" trial.

But Ms Si confirmed the trial would effectively be closed to the foreign media.

"It is a public trial but not open to the media," she said outside the courthouse which was cordoned off and surrounded by security forces and plainclothes security agents.

Ms Si said a press conference would be held "probably late afternoon [on Tuesday], after the trial is finished." "You will get news at the meeting and may [be] allowed to raise questions." Ms Si said.
"Someone who makes crimes should get this treatment."

 

[Sun Wukong]

China ex-police chief does not contest Bo scandal charges

CHENGDU, China | Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:57am EDT

(Reuters) - The former police chief at the heart of China's biggest political uproar in decades, Wang Lijun, did not contest charges against him at his court hearing on Tuesday, an official said.

Wang fled to a U.S. consulate in Chengdu for more than 24 hours in February, days after his dismissal as police chief of Chongqing, the nearby municipality then run by ambitious politician Bo Xilai, who had raised Wang to prominence as a crime gang-buster.

State media has said his crimes include defection, illegal surveillance and taking bribes, and has indicated that Wang had initially gone along with the attempted cover-up of the murder in November of British businessman, Neil Heywood, by Bo's wife, Gu Kailai.

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

 

[AntiPAPunk]

Half of Wang Lijun trial opened to the public
Staff Reporter 2012-09-18 17:41

Repoters gather in front of the court in Chengdu for Wang Lijun's trial on Tuesday. (Photo/CNS)

Chongqing's former police chief Wang Lijun underwent an open trial on Tuesday in Chengdu for taking bribes and bending the law for selfish ends following a closed-door trial on Monday which addressed the two other charges against him of defection and abuse of power, according to China's state news agency Xinhua.

The trial was heard at the Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court. According to the indictment, Wang, as chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau, had neglected his duty of investigating and suppressing criminal acts and bent the law for personal gain.

The prosecutors displayed evidence which was cross-examined by Wang and his defense team. Both the prosecutor and the accused fully expressed their views, Xinhua said.

Tuesday's trial was open to Wang's family and relatives as well as journalists, deputies to the people's congress, political advisers, and ordinary members of the public. The court was adjourned after the hearing and a verdict will be announced on a day yet to be decided.

Wang is being tried in the same city as the US consulate where he fled in February and presented evidence of the murder of the British businessman Neil Heywood by Gu Kailai, the wife of Chongqing's party chief Bo Xilai. His move set in motion the biggest political scandal to hit China in 20 years and brought about the downfall of the ambitious Bo, previously seen as a candidate for a top leadership position. Gu was last month given a suspended death sentence for the murder, while the party is still deciding what to do about Bo's "serious discipline violations."

The Wall Street Journal said that when Wang went to the Chengdu consulate in February, fearing that his own life was in danger from Bo, he gave US officials a cell phone number of an ally of his, who held evidence of Gu's involvement in Heywood's death last November.

Wang also gave the officials a free email account operated to a well-known Chinese website to connect with this ally.

The US officials forwarded the information provided by Wang to the British ambassador to China. British authorities contacted the number but declined to reveal the content of their communications with the unidentified ally, the newspaper said.

Analysts who have been keeping tabs on the case said Wang will be convicted and be handed a severe sentence, but will avoid the death penalty.

According to the Xinhua story on Tuesday, prosecutors said Wang knew perfectly well that Gu Kailai was under serious suspicion of intentional homicide but he deliberately covered up for her so that the wife of his boss would not be held legally responsible.

Bo Xilai's former right-hand man also took advantage of his position and illegally accepted money and property worth more than 3.05 million yuan (US$484,000) in return for securing benefits for other individuals, prosecutors said.

If the court decides that Wang subsequently made an important contribution to cracking the case, the penalty for the crime of bending the law for personal gain could be lighter.

 

[AntiPAPunk]

Wang Lijun stands trial for four charges
Source: Xinhua | 2012-9-18 | ONLINE EDITION

WANG Lijun, Chongqing's former vice mayor and former police chief, stood an open trial today in a court in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, for bribe-taking and bending the law for selfish ends.

The Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court held a closed-door trial yesterday on Wang's two other charges of defection and abuse of power.

According to the indictment of the Chengdu City People's Procuratorate, the defendant Wang Lijun, then-chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau, had neglected his duty of investigating and suppressing criminal acts and bent the law for personal gain.

Prosecutors said Wang knew perfectly well that Bogu Kailai was under serious suspicion of intentional homicide, but he deliberately covered up for her so that Bogu Kailai would not be held legally responsible.

The circumstances are especially serious. His behavior has violated Clause one of Article 399 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, prosecutors said.

They added that Wang, as a state functionary who knew state secrets, left his post without authorization and defected to another country's consulate while he was performing his official duty.

These circumstances are also serious. His behavior has violated Article 109 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, according to prosecutors.

The defendant Wang, then-chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau, has violated the country's relevant laws and regulations by using technical reconnaissance measures against many people on multiple occasions, either without the approval of authorities or by forging approval documents.

These acts have severely undermined the socialist rule of law, infringed citizens' legitimate rights and interests, and violated Clause one of Article 397 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, prosecutors said.

Wang, acting as a state functionary, took advantage of his position and illegally accepted money and property worth more than 3.05 million yuan (US$484,127), in return for securing benefits for other individuals. His behavior has violated Article 385 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China.

He should be held criminally responsible on charges of bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking, according to prosecutors.

 

[Windsorlou]

Wang Lijun may receive reduced sentence for 'contributions'
Staff Reporter 2012-09-19 16:35

Wang Lijun on trial in Chengdu. (Photo/CNS)

Wang Lijun may be given a reduced sentence due to his assistance in cracking the murder case of British businessman Neil Heywood following his two-day trial in Chengdu which ended on Tuesday, reports our sister newspaper China Times.

The trial of the former police chief of Chongqing was held at the Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court on Monday and Tuesday. According to the state news agency Xinhua, an open trial was held on Tuesday regarding the charges against Wang for taking bribes and bending the law for selfish ends after a closed-door trial was held on Monday which dealt with his other two charges of defection and abuse of power. Despite the official statement, neither of the trials was open to the public.

Under the charge of bending the law for selfish ends, prosecutors said Wang knew perfectly well that Gu Kailai, wife of the former Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai, was suspected of the intentional homicide of Heywood but he deliberately covered up for her. Gu was last month given a suspended death sentence for the murder.

The defection charge refers to Wang's unauthorized dash to the US consulate in Chengdu in February, where it is believed Wang presented US officials with evidence of Gu's crime as he had become fearful of reprisal from his former boss Bo Xilai. Prosecutors also said Wang abused his power by using technical surveillance measures against many people — reportedly including senior party officials — on multiple occasions without official approval or by forging approval documents.

An earlier story by the Wall Street Journal revealed that Wang owned about 150 patents, according to China Intellectual Property Rights Net, mostly for equipment commonly used by police in Chongqing. Wang supposedly earned huge profits from the promotion of the patents, though it is not known if Wang made any illegal income in this manner.

Prosecutors said Wang also took advantage of his position to accept bribes of cash and property worth more than 3.05 million yuan (US$484,000) in return for securing benefits for other individuals.

The indictment published by Xinhua indicated three of the four charges as "serious" or "especially serious." It also mentioned however that Wang may get a reduced sentence based on four "contributions," namely: Wang later ordered his subordinates to collect and preserve evidence in the murder case; he also reported Gu's possible involvement in the murder to the authorities, providing evidence and assisting the investigation; he turned himself in and confessed to the crimes he had committed after his attempted defection; and he had produced important clues exposing serious offenses committed by others and played a key role in the investigation of these cases.

Legal experts told Duowei, an outlet operated by overseas Chinese, that Wang is unlikely to be sentenced to more than 15 years in prison.

Analysts also noted that the "others" mentioned in the indictment would not refer to Gu Kailai, as Gu was mentioned by name elsewhere. The only possible candidate for "others" is Bo Xilai.

If so, this means that Bo has been judged guilty of "serious offenses" in the indictment, suggesting the fallen politician will face a legal trial as well as being punished by the party. The ambitious Bo, tipped for promotion to a top leadership position before his dramatic downfall, remains detained by the authorities for "serious discipline violations."

Analysts said Bo's case will be concluded before the party's 18th National Congress later this fall, where Vice President Xi Jinping is set to take over the reins from Hu Jintao as the head of a new administration in Beijing.

 

[AntiPAPunk]

China implicates Bo Xilai in criminal case

By Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina
BEIJING | Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:27am EDT

(Reuters) - China for the first time on Wednesday implicated former senior politician Bo Xilai in a criminal act while avoiding naming him directly in a published account by state media of the trial of his one-time police chief.

The Bo scandal has rocked Beijing, exposing rifts within the ruling Communist Party - elements of which are strong supporters of Bo's populist, left-leaning policies - at a time when China is preparing for a once-in-a-decade leadership change.

Wang Lijun, ex-police chief of southwestern Chongqing city, tried to tell "the Chongqing party committee's main responsible person at the time" - in other words, then-Chongqing Communist Party boss Bo - that Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was suspected of murdering a British businessman.

But Wang was "angrily rebuked and had his ears boxed", according to Xinhua news agency's official account of Wang's trial this week in Chengdu city, near Chongqing.

The virtually unmistakable reference to Bo increases the chances of him facing criminal charges, possibly for covering up a crime or corruption.

So far, Bo has only been accused of breaching internal party discipline. He has not responded publicly to the allegations against him.

Wang, 52, lifted the lid on the murder and cover-up of British businessman Neil Heywood in February when he went to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu and, according to sources, told envoys there about the murder that would later bring down Bo.

Within two months of Wang's 24-hour visit to the consulate, Bo was sacked as party boss and from the Communist Party's Politburo and Bo's wife Gu was accused of poisoning the businessman.

A court has since given Gu a suspended death sentence for the killing in late 2011.

Xinhua said that the day after Gu had poisoned Heywood in a Chongqing hotel, Wang met her and she acknowledged that she had killed him. Wang secretly recorded that conversation, but did not act on Gu's admission.

"After arriving in Chongqing, I would often go to the home of Bogu Kailai. I felt Bogu Kailai was very good to me," Xinhua said, citing Wang's testimony.

Bogu is Gu's official but rarely used family name.

"At the time, my selfish motives were guiding me. I didn't want to face this case," Wang said.

However, as the weeks went on Xinhua said problems began to arise between Wang and Gu. He felt that she was turning on him.

INVESTIGATIONS

Several of Wang's colleagues became targets of "illegal investigations" and Wang began to feel he was in danger and so decided to flee, ending up in the U.S. mission in Chengdu.

"Inside the U.S. consulate, after Wang spoke briefly with consular officials about environmental protection, education, and science and technology, he stated that because his personal safety had been threatened while investigating cases, he requested shelter with the U.S. side, and furthermore made an application for political asylum," Xinhua said.

The only corruption cases mentioned in the Xinhua account involved close business cronies of the former politician - potentially opening a corruption angle against Bo himself.

Xu Ming, a plastics-to-property entrepreneur whose long association with Bo extended for over two decades, offered two homes in Beijing worth over 2.85 million yuan to a relative of Wang's, Xinhua said.

In return, Wang helped free three of Xu's associates that had been taken into custody in Chongqing. Xu was detained in March, the day before Bo's ouster was announced.

A former intelligence agent, Yu Junshi, who has also been detained since March, was cited as renting expensive villas for Wang, in return for the freedom of another man held by the Chongqing police. Yu had also known Bo since the 1990s.

Bo had been considered a strong candidate for the next top leadership body, which is expected to be unveiled at the party's 18th congress next month. Vice President Xi Jinping is seen as all but certain to take over as party chief and inherit the challenge of trying to heal internal wounds.

Bo's downfall has stirred more public division than that of any other party leader for more than 30 years. To leftist supporters, Bo became a charismatic rallying figure for efforts to reimpose party control over dizzying, unequal market growth.

But he had made some powerful enemies among those who saw him as a dangerous opportunist who yearned to impose his harsh policies on the entire country.

(Additional reporting by Lucy Hornby, Terril Yue Jones and Sally Huang; Editing by Ron Popeski)

 

[AntiPAPunk]

Bo Xilai cited in Xinhua account of Wang Lijun trial
Staff Reporter 2012-09-20 13:47

Wang Lijun stood trial in Chengdu on Monday and Tuesday. (Photo/CNS)

Bo Xilai, the disgraced former party chief of Chongqing, has been cited in the trial of the city's former police chief, Wang Lijun, raising the prospect that Bo could yet face criminal charges over the "serious discipline violations" which cost him his political career.

Wang's two-day trial was heard in Chengdu on Monday and Tuesday, where he faced four charges of taking bribes, bending the law for selfish ends, defection and abuse of power. Without mentioning the former Chongqing party chief by name, details of the trial reported by the state news agency Xinhua said Bo slapped Wang after the police chief confronted Bo with his knowledge of Bo's wife Gu Kailai's murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, reports our sister newspaper China Times.

Gu received a suspended death sentence for Heywood's murder last month, but the trial significantly avoided all mention of her husband, who has been in detention after being sacked as Chongqing party chief in March and whose case remains unresolved.

The rare long article published by Xinhua on Wednesday, entitled: "On the law scale: the whole story of Wang Lijun's case and trial" described how the murder of the Briton, initially covered up by Wang, eventually led to a falling out between the Chongqing party chief and his right-hand man and led to an unexpected political storm after Wang, fearing for his safety, fled to the US consulate in Chengdu in February where he conveyed his knowledge of the case to American diplomats.

The Xinhua report said that on Nov. 12 last year, Wang ordered the monitoring of Heywood on suspicion of drug offenses after a discussion with Gu, who was reportedly worried that the Briton would harm her son Bo Guagua over a private financial dispute.

The following day, Gu poisoned Heywood with the help of Zhang Xiaojun, a household orderly who worked for Bo's family, at his room at the Nanshan Lijing Resort in Chongqing, and confessed to Wang what she had done on Nov. 14.

On Nov. 18, Wang informed Gu in a cryptic message by telephone that Heywood's body had been incinerated. His body was cremated without an autopsy and his Chinese wife was persuaded to accept the official verdict that he had died due to excessive alcohol consumption. However, a rupture occurred between the two after Gu took a series of actions to cover up the murder, including destroying evidence and inviting people who knew about the murder out to dinner. The grudge deepened at the end December as four of Wang's associates were investigated without legal basis.

According to Xinhua, Wang reported to "then chief leader of the city committee of Chongqing" — implying Bo Xilai — about his suspicions of Gu's involvement in the murder on Jan. 28. Wang was scolded and slapped by the "then leader" the following day, and subsequently removed as police chief and given the token position of Chongqing vice mayor, which led to Wang's attempted defection in February 6.

Before fleeing to neighboring Chengdu, Wang ordered two of his subordinates to reorganize the files concerning Heywood and keep them in a safe place.

The Xinhua report also mentioned that Xu Ming, chairman of Dalian Shide Group, who was detained over his alleged involvement in economic crime in March and has not been seen since, bought two houses for Wang's "lineal relative" who went to Beijing for work for nearly 3 million yuan (US$476,000) in exchange for the release of three persons from prison.

The 63-year-old Bo Xilai was tipped for promotion to a top leadership position before his dramatic downfall and there has been widespread speculation as to whether his case will be handled internally by the party or whether he will face criminal charges, and also whether his case will be resolved before the party's 18th National Congress and the country's leadership transition.

 

[Windsorhai]

Chinese verdict on ex-cop set to tighten noose on Bo

By Chris Buckley
BEIJING | Sun Sep 23, 2012 3:06pm EDT

(Reuters) - The ex-police chief who triggered China's most spectacular political upheaval for decades is virtually sure to be convicted on four charges on Monday, turning attention to the fate of his disgraced former boss, Bo Xilai.

A court in southwest China will announce its verdict on the charges against Wang Lijun, the former police chief of Chongqing municipality in southwest China -- chiefly, that he tried to cover up the murder of a British businessman by Gu Kailai, the wife of Bo, one of China's most controversial politicians.

With Gu already jailed, and Wang set to join her, the ruling Communist Party must next decide what to do with Bo, whose contentious downfall has dogged a leadership handover due to take place at a party congress as early as next month.

Wang sealed his fate at a trial a week ago by admitting to the charges, according to an official account of the hearing published by Xinhua news agency. Only official media outlets were allowed inside the courtroom.

"As for the crimes that the prosecution has alleged, I understand them, I admit to them, and I am repentant for them," Wang told the court in Chengdu, a city about 300 km (190 miles) from Chongqing, according to that account.

As well as the charge of sabotaging an investigation into Gu's murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in November 2011, Wang also faced charges of defecting to a U.S. consulate, taking bribes and conducting illegal surveillance.

The main charges stemmed from a cascade of events triggered by Heywood's murder. Officials have said the murder itself arose from a business dispute in Chongqing, the riverside municipality that Bo and Wang made into their fiefdom.

After first helping Gu evade suspicion of poisoning Heywood, Wang then kept evidence of the murder, according to the official account of Wang's trial. In late January, Wang confronted Bo with the allegation that Gu was suspected of killing Heywood. But Wang was "angrily rebuked and had his ears boxed".

Days later, Bo stripped Wang of his post as Chongqing police chief, and Wang, fearing for his safety, fled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu where he hid for more than 24 hours until Chinese officials coaxed him out.

In August, Gu was sentenced to a suspended death sentence, which effectively meant life in prison. The charges against Wang mean he could face execution, but legal experts say mentions of his cooperation with prosecutors suggest he will be jailed instead.

The Chinese government has not said what will happen to Bo, who in March was sacked as party boss and in April suspended from the ruling Communist Party's Politburo, a powerful decision-making council with two dozen active members.

So far, Bo has only been accused of breaching internal party discipline. But experts say the public citing of Bo's angry rebuke of Wang has raised the likelihood that he too will face criminal charges, probably after the party congress.

Before then, party leaders could first expel Bo from the party and hand him over for criminal investigation.

"The prosecutors said Wang exposed leaders to major crimes by others," said Li Zhuang, a Beijing lawyer who opposed Wang and Bo for mounting a sweeping crackdown on foes in the name of fighting organized crime. Bo was the likely target of Wang's allegations, said Li.

"That was a slap around the ears that changed history," Li said of Bo's alleged actions against Wang. "Otherwise, Bo might still be in power and hoping to rise higher."

(Editing by Mark Bendeich)

 

[rolleyes]

Wang Lijun given 15 years for abuse of power and defection
Xinhua 2012-09-24 12:24

A newspaper featuring reports on Wang Lijun on sale in Beijing. (Photo/CNS)

A Chinese court on Monday sentenced Wang Lijun to 15 years in prison and deprived him of his political rights for one year after finding him guilty of bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking.

Wang, the former vice mayor and police chief of southwest China's Chongqing municipality, was charged with several crimes and received a combined punishment for all offenses, according to a verdict announced by the Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Wang received seven years in prison for the charge of bending the law for selfish ends, two years in prison and deprivation of his political rights for one year for the charge of defection, two years in prison for the power abuse charge and nine years in prison for the charge of bribe-taking. He received a combined punishment of 15 years in prison and deprivation of his political rights for one year.

Wang stated to the court that he would not appeal the sentence.

The court found that on Nov. 15, 2011, British national Neil Heywood was killed in his hotel room in Chongqing.

Despite knowing that Bogu Kailai was a major suspect in Heywood's murder and having obtained important related evidence, Wang, then chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau, bent the law by selecting Guo Weiguo, then deputy chief of the bureau and a close friend of both Wang and Bogu Kailai, to take charge of the case.

Wang concealed from police the fact that Bogu Kailai had recounted her poisoning of Heywood to him, as well as he hid a recording of her recount.

Wang accepted Guo's verdict that Heywood had died from drinking too much, although facts ran contrary to Guo's claim. Wang also offered Bogu Kailai a video recording that showed her at the crime scene on the night of Heywood's death in an attempt to prevent her from being prosecuted.

After Wang had conflicts with Bogu Kailai and as the conflicts began to escalate, Wang told personnel at the Chongqing Public Security Bureau to re-collect, sort through and carefully keep the evidence from Heywood's case. Wang also provided them with the recording in Bogu Kailai admitted poisoning Heywood.

On Feb. 7, 2012, Wang reported to relevant state organs that Bogu Kailai was suspected of intentionally killing Heywood and offered relevant evidence and materials. Police re-investigated and cracked the case in accordance with law.

In early February 2012, Wang's positions and duties were adjusted and his close aids were illegally interrogated.

Feeling that he was in danger, Wang entered the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu without permission at 2:31 p.m. on Feb. 6 and asked the U.S. side for political asylum.

Wang left the U.S. diplomatic mission of his own volition at 11:35 p.m. on Feb. 7 after being persuaded by the Chinese side.

From January 2010 to February 2012, when he served as director of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau, Wang instructed the bureau's staff to use technical investigation measures against many people without obtaining legal approval from authorities, an act that severely undermined the socialist rule of law and infringed on citizens' legitimate rights and interests.

From September 2008 to November 2009, Wang, as the executive deputy chief and then chief of Chongqing Municipality Public Security Bureau, accepted requests from Xu Ming, board chairman of the Dalian Shide Group Co., Ltd. and Yu Junshi, legal representative of Dalian Shiyuan Trade Co., Ltd. and instructed law enforcement departments to illegally release four suspects who were being detained.

During that period, Wang received two apartments in Beijing worth 2.85 million yuan (449,583 U.S. dollars) bought by Xu and received a total of 200,000 yuan from Yu to cover the rent for Wang's villa in Chongqing. Most of the property and money involved in the bribery has been reclaimed.

After being arrested, Wang produced important clues that exposed serious offenses committed by others. These clues played a key role in the investigation of other cases.

The court held that Wang Lijun, as then-chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau, knew perfectly well that someone was under serious suspicion of intentional homicide, bent the law for selfish ends and deliberately covered up the case so that the relevant person would not be held legally responsible. His behavior constituted the crime of bending the law for selfish ends and the circumstances were especially serious.

Wang, acting as a state functionary, left his post without permission and defected to a foreign country's consulate while performing his official duties. His behavior constituted the crime of defection and the circumstances were serious.

Wang abused power and illegally used technical investigation measures against many people. These acts severely infringed upon citizens' legitimate rights and interests and undermined the socialist rule of law. His acts constituted the crime of power abuse.

Wang, acting as a state functionary, took advantage of his position to seek interests for others and illegally receive property and money from others. His acts constituted the crime of bribe-taking. He sought illegitimate interests for others after taking bribes. The circumstances were vile.

Wang later ordered his subordinates in the Chongqing police to refile the case of the intentional homicide involving Bogu Kailai, as well as re-collect, sort through and preserve evidence for the case. He also reported to authorities the possible involvement of Bogu Kailai in the murder, provided evidence and willingly assisted in the reinvestigation of the case, as well as played a key part in cracking the case. Considering this, the penalty for the crime of bending the law for selfish ends should be lighter.

Wang Lijun, as a state functionary who knew state secrets and defected to another country, should receive a heavy penalty according to the law.

After committing the crime of defection, Wang turned himself in and confessed to the crimes he had committed, which could be considered to be voluntary surrender and merit a lighter penalty according to law.

He also produced important clues for exposing serious offenses committed by others and played a key part in the investigation of those cases. This could be considered as a major meritorious service, which merits a lighter penalty.

Taking into consideration the crimes Wang committed, their social impact and the fact that Wang pled guilty and confessed to the crimes at trial, the court has handed down the verdict above according to law.

 

[rolleyes]

Bo Xilai Expelled From Communist Party

China says disgraced Politburo member Bo Xilai has been expelled from the Communist Party and will face criminal charges.1:09pm UK, Friday 28 September 2012

Bo Xilai has been expelled from the Chinese communist party

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

The man who has been involved in the biggest scandal China has seen in a generation has been expelled from the Communist Party.

Bo Xilai had already been suspended whilst he was investigated for what was termed "party indiscretions".

The state news agency Xinhua says he will be charged with corruption, bribe taking and what it calls "improper relations with a number of women".

It is the clearest sign yet that the party intends to prosecute Bo Xilai not just for offences against the party but also for criminal offences related to the death of the British businessman Neil Heywood.

The state news agency said he will be charged over "abuse of power" which is understood to relate to the case surrounding Mr Heywood - indicating he could be charged with "covering up".

Mr Heywood was found dead in his hotel room in the Chinese city of Chongqing in November of last year. Initially the authorities said he had died of natural causes.

Several months later the former police chief of Chongqing, Wang Lijun, went to the US Consulate in neighbouring Chengdu saying he had new information that Mr Heywood had been murdered.

The case was re-investigated and Bo Xilai's wife Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence after she admitted poisoning Mr Heywood.

Wang Lijun was given 15 years in jail after admitting covering up in the Heywood case.

In a double statement the Communist Party also announced the date of its once-a-decade Congress as November 8.

This ends weeks of speculation about the date of the Congress. It seems the party wants Bo Xilai dealt with before the Congress.

At the Congress Xi Jinping is expected to be announced as the next head of the Communist Party and in turn President of China taking over from Hu Jintao.

 

[Yukimura Sanada]

China expels Bo Xilai from its top legislature
Updated 10:49 p.m., Saturday, September 29, 2012

FILE - In this March 9, 2012 file photo, Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai reacts during a plenary session of the National People's Congress held in Beijing, China. With the disgraced politician expelled from the party and facing prosecution on a slew of charges, China’s ruling communists can finally focus on the crucial task of ensuring a smooth transition to a new generation of leaders. Photo: Ng Han Guan / AP

BEIJING (AP) — China has expelled disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the country's top legislature, paving the way for criminal proceedings against him.

China's official Xinhua News Agency says the Standing Committee of Chongqing's Municipal People's Congress has decided to remove Bo from his post as deputy to the 11th National People's Congress.

Delegates to that body have immunity from arrest and prosecution.

Bo's removal is largely a formality after he was ousted from the Communist Party on Friday, accused of crimes including taking bribes and abusing his power.

Bo's fall from grace has been spectacular. He had been a prime candidate for a top post in China's leadership until a scandal broke involving his wife's murder of a British businessman.

 

[Yukimura Sanada]

Bo Xilai case: sex, bribes and murder – China throws the book at former hero

China's Communist party moved has moved to bring its annus horribilis to a close, announcing that one of its fallen heroes, Bo Xilai, would face criminal charges and simultaneously revealing the date when it will unveil a new generation of leaders.

Mr Bo, who once believed he could become China's paramount leader, was expelled from the Communist party and now faces decades in prison and perhaps even the death penalty. Photo: REUTERS

By Malcolm Moore, Beijing and Tom Phillips in Shanghai

4:58PM BST 28 Sep 2012

Just before China relaxed into a week-long national holiday, a comprehensive statement on Xinhua, the official news service, ended seven months of speculation about Mr Bo's fate, ripping his once spectacular political career to shreds in just a few paragraphs.

Investigators, it said, had found evidence that the 63-year-old Politburo member and former Commerce minister had taken "huge bribes" throughout his career, had "significant responsibility" for the murder of Neil Heywood, and had "maintained improper sexual relations with many women". Communist party officials are forbidden from having affairs.

Mr Bo, who once believed he could become China's paramount leader, was expelled from the Communist party and now faces decades in prison and perhaps even the death penalty.

Meanwhile, the Party also announced that its 18th National Congress, the moment when a new president and premier will be unveiled, will take place on November 8, ten years to the day when the last leadership transition got under way.

Xi Jinping is expected to be named as China's next paramount leader, with Li Keqiang as premier.

The date is slightly later than anticipated, in part because of a split within the Communist leadership over how to deal with Mr Bo, who remains popular with the people and has strong supporters in both the Party and the People's Liberation Army.

However, the sentencing of Gu Kailai, Mr Bo's wife, in August for Mr Heywood's murder, and of his Police Chief Wang Lijun, earlier this month, for helping to cover up the crime, paved the way for a resolution.

Two well-placed sources in Chongqing, one of whom is a former city official, said the party had been torn over Mr Bo's case. "Different powers were fighting each other," said one.

"The leaders were considering whether to deal with him internally, and not put him through the courts. But they realised that he still has quite a following, and could have made a comeback. So then they decided to get rid of him thoroughly" said the other.

At an ill-tempered meeting of China's top leaders at the beginning of August at the seaside resort of Beidaihe, Xi Jinping proposed dealing with Mr Bo through the courts, according to the former editor of a state-run Chinese media outlet.

Qin Shuo, editor in chief of China Business News, laid out the dilemma facing China's leaders in a tweet yesterday: "Do not investigate and everything looks heroic. Investigate and everything looks criminal. To investigate or not investigate, that is the question."

Professor Steve Tsang, director of the University of Nottingham's China Policy Institute, said the severity of the charges meant China's leaders had decided Mr Bo needed to be "locked away and forgotten".

"The most striking [charge] is linking him quite explicitly to the murder of Heywood. His name was not even mentioned in the trials of Gu Kailai and Wang Lijun. And that seems to suggest quite clearly that until today the top leadership could not agree on what to do with Bo Xilai, at least over the Heywood murder."

"Mentioning that he has accepted bribes on an enormous scale is a very serious charge. Under the Chinese arrangement very large scale corruption is a capital offence."

Prof Tsang said that, as a former Politburo member, he did not expect Mr Bo to be executed but anticipated a very severe punishment. He said a trial could occur before the Party Congress, but Liu Xiaoyuan, a human rights lawyer who has represented the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, said it would take "more than a month to go through the normal judicial procedures."

In a move that would seem to bury Mr Bo, Xinhua suggested that he had committed decades worth of crimes, some of which may still yet come to light.

As well as the abuses that allegedly occurred during his tenure as party chief in the vast central city of Chongqing, "investigations have found that Bo seriously violated Party disciplines while heading the city of Dalian, Liaoning Province, and the Ministry of Commerce," said Xinhua.

The statement is a tacit admission that the Communist party's much-vaunted "internal supervision" system, designed to root out wrongdoing, had abjectly failed in halting Mr Bo's rise to the top.

Xinhua added that Mr Bo "took advantage of his office to seek profits for others and received huge bribes personally and through his family" and was responsible for the defection of his police chief, Wang Lijun, to the American consulate in Chengdu.

Reigniting rumours that have circulated on the internet for months, the statement also said Bo "had or maintained improper sexual relationships with a number of women".

"Our party seems to be extolling the importance of marriage. French and American politicians will quiver in our system!" commented one wag on Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter.

Liu Chun, vice president of web portal Sohu, tweeted: "How is that all I care about is the last line [about the women], that all I can think of is gossip? Could it be that there are some people I know who are a part of it?" No date for Mr Bo's trial has been set, nor were formal charges released yesterday.

Additional reporting by Valentina Luo