China charges Bo Xilai with corruption, paves way for trial
JINAN, China (Reuters) - China charged disgraced senior politician Bo Xilai with bribery, abuse of power and corruption on Thursday, paving the way for a trial seen by many as a test for legal reform and President Xi Jinping's commitment to combat corruption.
Bo, 64, could appear in a courtroom in the eastern city of Jinan in Shandong province within weeks, capping the country's biggest political scandal since the 1976 downfall of the Gang of Four at the end of the Cultural Revolution. He has not been seen in public for 17 months.
Xi, who formally took power in March, will be eager to put the Bo scandal behind him and have unstinted support from the Communist Party as he embarks on an ambitious rebalancing of the world's second-largest economy and cracks down on corruption among senior officials.
But the outcome of the trial of Bo, a charismatic and well-loved leader to some and a power-hungry politician to others, could sharpen rifts.
Bo committed serious crimes and will be indicted on the charges of bribery, embezzlement and power abuse, state news agency Xinhua quoted the indictment as saying. He had been informed of his legal rights and interviewed by prosecutors, it said.
Bo, as a civil servant, took advantage of his position to seek profits for others and accepted an "extremely large amount" of money and properties, Xinhua said.
The sight of Bo in the dock will be cheered by many liberals, worried that his frequent paeans to Mao Zedong could return China to the dark days of the Cultural Revolution, but frustrate leftists and supporters of his crackdown on crime, who suspect a conspiracy behind his downfall.
Bo is certain to be found guilty. His wife, Gu Kailai, and his former police chief, Wang Lijun, have both been jailed over the scandal, which stems from the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
The government in September last year accused Bo of corruption and of bending the law to hush up the murder.
China's prosecutors and courts come under Communist Party control and they are unlikely to challenge the party's previous accusations.
"For a case that is politically tinged like this, the possibility of getting a fair trial is slim," said Chen Ziming, an independent political commentator in Beijing. "Basically it's been decided from above, the courts below will just act in accordance with the instructions."
But the government does appear concerned about the public reaction to Bo and any fallout, and Xinhua called on people to support the Communist Party's decision.
But Xi will have a difficult time convincing people that the charges against Bo are justified, said Bo Zhiyue, a professor of Chinese politics at the National University of Singapore.
"All these charges are their excuses," Bo said. "They apply to anybody in the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee. There are no exceptions."
Prosecutors in Jinan indicted Bo, Xinhua said, meaning the trial will take place there.
Bo's lawyers, Li Guifang and Wang Zhaofeng, did not respond to request for comment. Government and court officials in Jinan could not be reached.
About two dozen uniformed and plainclothes police officers hovered around the gates of the main courthouse in Jinan, but there were no signs that the trial was imminent.
Xinhua did not say when Bo's trial will start. But according to Chinese law, charges must be served to the defendant and his or her lawyers at least 10 days before a trial begins.
On the streets of Jinan, there was little reaction to the impending trial.
"As an ordinary citizen, I very much hope Bo Xilai will not be treated as a high-ranking official, but as any other ordinary citizen who breaks the law," said Wang Songxian, a 34 year-old resident.
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