[jurnalkduo]

Verdicts in Bo Xilai affair to be delivered next month: Global Times

Staff Reporter
2012-05-23
13:16 (GMT+8)



Wang Lijun is to be tried for treason for his attempt to seek asylum at the US consulate in Chengdu. (Internet photo)

The results of the investigation into the attempted defection of Wang Lijun, the former police chief of Chongqing whose dramatic flight to the US consulate in Chengdu in February triggered China's largest political scandal in 20 years, will be announced next month, reports the Global Times, an English-language tabloid published under the auspices of the official Chinese Communist Party newspaper People's Daily.

This is the first time an official media outlet has reported on the investigations into Wang, Bo and Gu, and this is regarded as a deliberate disclosure by the top echelon of the party.

The newspaper says the verdict will also be announced in the cases of Wang's former boss, the sacked party chief of Chongqing, and Bo's wife Gu Kailai, who is accused of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood over a financial dispute. It is believed that Wang's suspicions concerning Gu and his fear of reprisal from Bo prompted him to convey what he knew to US diplomats in February. The scandal of Wang's flight led to Bo's subsequent ouster and detention for investigation.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said Beijing has formed a special task force to investigate Wang and that he will stand trial for treason in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province which neighbors Chongqing.

It is unclear if the trial will be open to the public, the report said. The heaviest penalty for treason which seriously harms the country and its nationals is death, though Ong Yew-kim, a legal expert in Hong Kong, told the newspaper that it is unlikely that the former police chief will be executed. "He did not kill people or hold weapons illegally. He is likely to get a jail sentence of about eight to ten years," Wang was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying.

Wang has also cooperated with the authorities in providing information on his former mentor Bo, which is also expected to mitigate his punishment. An inside source in Chongqing told the newspaper that Wang performed deeds of merit as a well-known crusader against organized crime and for this reason also is expected to avoid being sentenced to death.

Three agencies are handling the investigations into the three. The Ministry of State Security has taken over Wang's case since taking him into custody after he left the US consulate in Chengdu on February 7. Bo is under investigation by the discipline inspection department of the Communist Party, while his wife is being investigated by the police on suspicion of intentional homicide.

References:

Wang Lijun　　王立軍
Bo Xilai　　薄熙來
Gu Kailai　　谷開來