China charges disgraced Bo Xilai with corruption

Bo, 64, could appear in a court 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.

Mr Xi, who formally took power in March, will be eager to put the Bo scandal behind him and have full support from the Communist Party as he embarks on an ambitious rebalancing of the world’s second-largest economy.

But the trial of Bo, a charismatic and well-loved leader to some and a power-hungry politician to others, could deepen rifts.

Bo’s fall from grace exposed disagreements in the party between his left-wing backers, who are nostalgic for the revolutionary era of Mao Zedong, and reformers, who advocate faster political and economic reforms.

Bo committed serious crimes and will be indicted on the charges of bribery, embezzlement and power abuse, news agency Xinhua yesterday quoted the indictment as saying. He had been informed of his legal rights and interviewed by prosecutors.

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.

“No matter who you are, whether you have a high or low position, you will be severely punished if you break the law,” state media cited People’s Daily as saying in an editorial.

“Bo Xilai’s indictment again shows that everyone is equal in the eyes of the law… and nobody has special rights,” it said.

Bo is certain to be found guilty. His wife, Gu Kailai, and his former police chief, Wang Lijun, have both been convicted and 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 will not challenge the party’s previous accusations.

There were no really explosive charges, such as plotting a coup, indicating that the party wants to move on and not let Bo distract or deeply split its members, said Joseph Cheng, a political scientist at Hong Kong’s City University.

He added: “This tells us there has been a lot of lobbying behind the scenes to perhaps protect Bo from the death penalty and also limit any broader damage.

“I think the authorities would like to keep this low profile.”

State television’s main evening news last night focused on the clean-up after an earthquake this week in remote Gansu province, in contrast to some previous announcements on the Bo case which took the top slot on the popular bulletin.

The government does appear to be concerned about the public reaction to Bo and any fallout, and Xinhua called on people to support the Communist Party’s decision.

Xi, however, has shown no sign of any anxiety, appearing relaxed during a tour of central Hubei province this week, where he called for a more reform to meet economic challenges.

Many analysts say it is unlikely Bo would receive the death penalty. They expect the court to hand down a suspended death sentence, which effectively means life in prison, although the term can be reduced to 15 or 20 years.