Court date for Wang, China’s fallen star

THE police chief whose flight to a US consulate set off China’s biggest political scandal in years has been charged with crimes including defection and bribe taking, indicating the turbulent affair is moving closer to a resolution before a key national leadership transition this autumn.

Wang Lijun, the former police chief and vice mayor of the south-western city of Chongqing, was also charged with “bending the law for selfish ends” and abuse of power, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Wang set off the scandal by fleeing to the US consulate in the nearby city of Chengdu in early February after being summarily demoted by the city’s powerful Communist Party boss, Bo Xilai. Xinhua said the charges were brought by prosecutors in Chengdu, indicating that is where the trial will be held.

During his overnight stay at the US consulate, Wang expressed to the Americans his concerns about the death of British businessman Neil Heywood in Chongqing last November. That prompted the British Embassy to request a new investigation, which uncovered that he had been murdered.

The case resulted in Bo’s dismissal in March and the conviction last month of Bo’s wife Gu Kailai for poisoning Heywood, a former family associate with whom Gu had reportedly argued about money.

Gu was given a suspended death sentence, while Bo remains under investigation by the ruling party’s disciplinary branch for unspecified grave violations of discipline. 
Citing the indictment, Xinhua said Wang had left his post without authorisation and defected to the consulate, but did not say whether he made a direct request for asylum, something US diplomats say they would not have been able to grant.

It said Wang knew that Gu was strongly suspected in Heywood’s death, but “consciously neglected his duty and bent the law for personal gain” so she would not be held legally
responsible.

It said he abused his power in the exercise of police investigations and took advantage of his position to accept large amounts of bribes in return for granting favours.

Although he faces years in prison, Wang avoided the more serious charge of treason. Unconfirmed reports said he had co-operated closely with investigators after leaving the consulate accompanied by agents from China’s main intelligence agency, the Ministry of State
Security.

Bo had been one of China’s most prominent politicians and was considered a candidate for the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee at the upcoming Communist Party national congress, held every five years.

Wang had been his right-hand man in Chongqing, spearheading a controversial crackdown on organised crime that critics say featured torture and other violations of procedure, as well as illegal confiscation of assets and the targeting of political opponents.

The two reportedly fell out after Wang brought up Heywood’s murder with Bo, who was not called as a witness or otherwise implicated in Gu’s trial.

The charges yesterday against Wang were brought by the authorities in Chengdu – the province that he led until February, rather than in Chongqing, where he served as police chief.