China: Fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai appeared in public for the first time in more than a year on Thursday to face trial in eastern China, the final chapter of the country’s most politically charged case in more than three decades.
Bo, the 64-year old former Communist Party chief of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, has been charged with bribery, corruption and abuse of power and will almost certainly be found guilty.
His trial in the city of Jinan marks the culmination of China’s biggest political scandal since the 1976 downfall of the Gang of Four at the end of the Cultural Revolution. It has pitted supporters of his Maoist-themed egalitarian social programmes against the capitalist-leaning economic road taken by the Beijing leadership, exposing divisions within the ruling Communist Party as well as Chinese society.
President Xi Jinping, who is embarking on an ambitious plan to rebalance the world’s second-biggest economy, will be keen to put the trial behind him with a minimum of fuss to ensure stability and party unity.
The Jinan Intermediate Court said on its microblog feed that Bo, five of his family members and 19 journalists attended the hearing. It did not give details, but CCTV said over 100 people attended the trial, filling the courtroom.
Bo was charged with receiving about 21.8 million yuan ($3.56 million) in bribes from Xu Ming, a plastics-to-property entrepreneur who is a close friend, and Tang Xiaolin, the general manager of Hong Kong-based export company Dalian International Development Ltd, the court said.
He received the bribes through his wife, Gu Kailai, and his son, Bo Guagua, it said, citing the indictment. (Reuters)