/ 22 September 2013

Bo Xilai sentenced to life in prison

Former Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been found guilty of corruption
Former Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been found guilty of corruption, embezzlement and abuse of power.(AFP)

A Chinese court sentenced deposed regional leader Bo Xilai to life in prison on Sunday, finding him guilty of corruption, embezzlement and abuse of power.

Bo denied the charges at his trial last month, which followed a murder scandal involving his wife.

Analysts and Bo's supporters saw the trial as political. 

Bo has said repeatedly that he is not guilty of any of the charges, although he has admitted to making some bad decisions and to shaming his country with his handling of former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun, who first told Bo that Gu had probably murdered Heywood.

The ruling Communist Party's purge of Bo prompted its biggest internal rift since its 1989 military crackdown on democracy protests.

Bo was a rising star in China's leadership circles when his career was stopped short last year by a murder scandal in which his wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of poisoning British businessperson Neil Heywood, who had been a family friend. –Sapa-DPA