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CHINA: Trial of former senior Chinese leader Bo Xilai

 

This is the first time in 17 months that Bo Xilai appears in public. Thursday, August 22, high-frame former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has appeared in Jinan (China's) opening under high security, on trial for corruption and abuse of power. It is the largest political scandal in decades, and the main interest has never spoken publicly about the case. The report of the debates is only accessible by microblogs issued by the Criminal Court.

The allegations date from 1999 to early 2012. Bo Xilai, 64, is accused of corruption when he was mayor of the port of Dalian, before taking office in Chongqing. He is alleged to have received - with his wife and son - more than 20 million yuan (2.4 million euros) in bribes, kickbacks and embezzling more than 5 million yuan from a government agency for profit.

The former Secretary General of the CPC Chongqing, a megalopolis southwest of the country, is also charged with abuse of power: he is accused of trying to escape , justice his wife Gu Kailai, convicted in 2012 for his role in the murder of a British businessman Neil Heywood, in November 2011. The former police chief of Chongqing, Wang Lijun, was also jailed for trying to cover it up.

"Political Persecution"

Five family members and 19 journalists attended the hearing. A handful of supporters of the accused had gathered outside the court to denounce a "political persecution" of those who stood in front of Maoism heir Reformers, who argue for an acceleration of the modernization of the Chinese economy. The rally was quickly dispersed by the police.

Before his fall, the former trade minister was considered one of the leading figures of the "red prince", the new generation of descendants of the elite of the CCP, because a speech and populist measures, which contrasted with the current conservative rhetoric that dominates the party. Bo Xilai was both feared by reformists for his frequent references to Mao Zedong, and admired by some of the left wing of the CCP for his statements in favor the role of government in reducing inequality and its campaigns against organized crime.

He faces the death penalty

Bo Xilai is the most senior officer to appear before the Chinese court since the trial in 1980 of Jiang Qing, widow of Mao Zedong, and the "gang of four" leaders MAOI stes accused of being the instigators of the Cultural Revolution. His trial is seen as a test for the promises of transparency and the fight against corruption in the new Chinese President Xi Jinping.  

The trial is scheduled to last two days and the verdict - there is little doubt that it will be found guilty - is expected in early September. Bo Xilai risk the death penalty, even if it is usually commuted to life imprisonment in cases of financial crimes.

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