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ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
 Posted: 17-04-2012 21:10 Post subject: China scandal: Is Bo Xilai victim of political dispute? |
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Curiouser and curiouser. Whats really going on here? Does anyone really believe that Bo Xilai was a new Mao who wanted to launch Cultural Revolution 2.0? Was Heywood murdered?
Enough questions? Read the article by Michael Bristow.
| Quote: | China scandal: Is Bo Xilai victim of political dispute?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17738723
By Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing
Bo Xilai scandal
PM offers China death probe help
Neil Heywood 'poison link'
Heywood widow 'suffering'
Bo wife suspect in 'murder' case
China has moved quickly to cast the downfall of one of the country's top politicians as a simple case of legal wrongdoing.
Bo Xilai has been stripped of his position in the Communist party's politburo because of his connection with the suspected murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
A series of official editorials say the investigation into Mr Bo is an example of the Communist party "safeguarding the rule of law".
These commentary pieces have dismissed the idea that Mr Bo's fall from grace is anything to do with political disagreements at the top.
But some experts believe this is a far too simplistic interpretation of Mr Bo's sacking, which comes in the run-up to the party's once-in-a-decade leadership change later this year.
"This is a political rather than a legal case," said Prof Steve Tsang, director of the China Policy Institute at the UK's Nottingham University.
Law 'used as tool'
An editorial carried by the People's Daily immediately after it was announced that Mr Bo had lost his politburo seat began the party's version of events.
It said the case showed there was respect for the facts and the legal system. "There is no privileged citizen before the law," it added.
Continue reading the main story
Leaders who rose and fell
Another newspaper, The Global Times, said this case marked a new stage of openness in China.
"China has ended the era of 'hiding one's sickness for fear of treatment'," read an editorial in the party-controlled newspaper.
But the idea that Mr Bo's legal case could take place without political approval is to misinterpret the role of the judicial system in China.
It is, first a foremost, a tool used by the party to pursue its policies - a fact that is openly admitted by senior officials.
A report into China's legal system delivered at this year's annual parliamentary session in Beijing gave just one example of this viewpoint.
It said the most important task for legal workers was to "unite around the implementation of the party and the state's policies and carry out legislative work according to major policy arrangements".
Not much there about prosecuting a case according to the facts.
"Whoever is in power has to make sure that the judicial apparatus is under the control of the dominant faction," said Willy Lam, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
"It's then easy to use the law to attack your opponents."
This has been done before.
Former Beijing mayor Chen Xitong and Chen Liangyu, ex-party secretary in Shanghai, were both sent to prison for corruption.
But in both cases political in-fighting was thought to have been a contributing reason behind their downfall.
Leaders 'lack consensus'
Perhaps most important of all, China's message that Bo Xilai's case is a simple legal matter ignores one vital point - he has not yet been accused of committing any crime.
So far the authorities have said only that he was involved in "serious discipline violations" related to the suspected murder of Mr Heywood.
In these circumstances it is hard to see how the fall of Bo Xilai is just a legal case.
The party has also worked hard to dismiss the suggestion that the affair is connected to any disagreements at the top of the communist party.
"It is nothing to do with a so-called 'political struggle'," read an article by the state-run news agency, Xinhua.
This interpretation is rejected by analysts.
If the party was really unified, why bother continuing to stress the point?
Prof Xiang Songzuo, from the People's University in Beijing, said China's top leaders do not like to criticise each other in public in order to give the impression of unity.
But he added: "They have struggles and disputes, and very different perspectives. They don't have consensus."
The world has had a glimpse of those disputes as the party gears up for its 18th party congress later this year, an event at which it will choose the next generation of leaders.
Bo Xilai was a charismatic and popular politician who many expected would be promoted at this party gathering.
He appears to be a victim of the factional in-fighting in the lead-up to the congress.
What he did, how he is linked to the death of Neil Heywood and why he was sacked are still unanswered questions.
And with the party's monopoly on the truth, as Prof Tsang put it, the full story might take some time to emerge - if it ever does.
But Willy Lam is clear about what this case says about Chinese politics. He said: "This is very reminiscent of the old-style back-stabbing under Mao Zedong." |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 20-04-2012 11:12 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Heywood case: China 'murder cover-up began immediately'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17781092
Businessman Neil Heywood died on 15 November in the Chinese city of Chongqing
Bo Xilai scandal
Key players
Scandal timeline
Who was Briton Heywood?
Bo Xilai's life in the fast lane
A senior Chinese journalist has told the BBC that police knew UK man Neil Heywood had been murdered in Chongqing last November and that a cover-up began immediately.
Police panicked when they realised the case could be linked to top politician Bo Xilai and his wife, Gu Kailai.
It was only this month that authorities promised an investigation and named Ms Gu as a suspect.
Bo Xilai has been sacked, amid China's biggest political scandal in decades.
The 41-year-old British businessman was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing on 15 November. Local officials initially said he died of excessive drinking.
But police who arrived at the hotel immediately knew he had been killed, and panicked after they realised the case was linked to Mr Bo, the journalist told the BBC's Martin Patience in Chongqing.
Three of the investigators asked to resign, said Han Pingzao, a former correspondent for the People's Daily in Chongqing.
''They were terrified of the politician,'' Mr Han said.
'Sweating profusely'
It was at this point that former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun became involved. In January, Mr Wang told his boss Mr Bo that he believed Ms Gu was involved in the murder.
''Bo Xilai was shocked when he heard the details,'' Mr Han said. ''He started sweating profusely.''
Continue reading the main story
TIMELINE: BO XILAI SCANDAL
2 Feb: Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun is demoted, confirming he has fallen out with the city's Communist Party boss, Bo Xilai.
6 Feb: Mr Wang flees to the US consulate in nearby Chengdu, where he spends the night. Many believe he went there to seek asylum.
5 Mar: China announces that Bo Xilai has been removed from his post in Chongqing.
20 Mar: Rumours suggest that Mr Bo could be linked to the death of British businessman Neil Heywood, who died in Chongqing last November.
26 Mar: UK government confirms it has asked China to re-examine Mr Heywood's death.
10 Apr: China says Bo Xilai has been suspended from party posts and his wife is being investigated over My Heywood's death.
Bo Xilai scandal: Timeline
The flamboyant Mr Bo - the nearest thing China has to a Western-style politician - made his name in Chongqing with two high-profile campaigns. One cracked down on organised crime, the other was to promote China's communist past.
Mr Wang, who has been closely identified with Mr Bo and his rise - he was tipped to be promoted to the party's top leadership before the scandal - was responsible for the anti-crime campaign.
After half an hour, Mr Bo approached Mr Wang and held both his hands tightly. Mr Wang thought he was safe then, the journalist said, but he was not.
He was sacked and subsequently sought refuge at the American consulate in Chengdu, where he reportedly told US officials about the murder and attempted to defect.
Mr Wang was eventually persuaded to leave the consulate, emerging into the waiting arms of the police and an investigation.
'Extraordinary scenes'
The events surrounding Mr Bo and his wife have become the biggest political scandal in China in years, ahead of a leadership change in Beijing due to get under way in October.
There were ''extraordinary scenes'' on the day that Mr Bo's sacking as Chongqing party chief was announced last month, Mr Han said.
''Chongqing party officials attended sessions at various departments to hear how the central government had decided to handle the case,'' he added.
This came right after China's annual parliamentary meeting in Beijing. In a news conference at the end of the parliamentary session, Premier Wen Jiabao took - and answered - a direct question on the Wang Lijun incident.
"The present Chongqing municipal party committee and the municipal government must reflect seriously and learn from the Wang Lijun incident," he said.
While Mr Bo's name was not mentioned, the comment was understood to be a public criticism directed at him.
''There were thousands of officials going in and out all day,'' said Mr Han. ''On the same day, late in the evening, the news was broadcast to the whole country.''
A few weeks later state media reported that Ms Gu and Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly at Mr Bo's home, had been arrested. Mr Bo is also under investigation for ''serious discipline violations''.
The Chinese authorities have promised the UK government a thorough investigation into Mr Heywood's death. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 22-04-2012 09:39 Post subject: |
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More evidence of thuggery emerges but the big picture remains obscured.
| Quote: | Torture claims emerge in China's Bo Xilai scandal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17790632
By Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing
Businessman Li Jun claims to have been tortured by police working under Bo Xilai
Bo Xilai scandal
Key players
Scandal timeline
Who was Briton Heywood?
Bo Xilai's life in the fast lane
The Chinese politician who launched an attack on organised crime is accused of heading a police apparatus that carried out "evil" operations against its enemies.
Bo Xilai spearheaded a crackdown on Chongqing's mafia organisations, but people are now coming forward claiming this involved torture and false accusations.
These allegations have emerged since Mr Bo was stripped of his political roles for serious violations of communist party discipline.
These violations are linked to the death of the British businessman Neil Heywood, who was found dead in a hotel room in Chongqing last November.
Chinese people might wonder how Mr Bo managed to get away with behaviour that national leaders were praising until just a few weeks ago.
'They tortured me'
Mr Bo began his attack on organised crime in the summer of 2009. Thousands - including government officials, police officers and business people - were detained.
This campaign ran in tandem with a movement to promote the singing of revolutionary songs. The two were known as "sing red, smash black", black meaning criminal gangs.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
They slapped me, kicked me and hit me with an ashtray”
Li Jun
Businessman
One man ensnared in Mr Bo's crackdown was Li Jun, whose company, Chongqing Junfeng Industrial Development Group, was involved in real estate.
Mr Li, who spoke to the BBC while in hiding outside China, said he first heard the authorities were targeting him in early 2009.
"I ignored them at the time because I am a proper and legitimate businessman," he said in a sometimes emotional interview.
But in August that year he found out that Chongqing's police chief, Wang Lijun, had ordered a joint investigation with the People's Liberation Army into his business activities.
At the time, Mr Li said he was buying a large piece of land from the PLA, the name for China's army, in Chongqing.
The businessman said he divorced his wife to protect her and signed over his business operations to relatives. He then fled Chongqing.
He returned to the city in December that year to secretly see his wife and two children, but the authorities were waiting for him and took him into custody.
Lawyer Li Zhuang says he was strapped in a 'tiger chair' for three days
"My mind went blank. I was scared - horrified," said Mr Li. He claims he was then tortured.
"They tortured me for more than 40 hours to force me to confess. I was banned from going to the toilet or eating. They stabbed me with a pen if I disagreed," he told the BBC.
He said he was forced to admit that he was a member of an organised crime gang, and that he had been engaged in bribery, fraud and illegally supporting a religious organisation.
"They slapped me, kicked me and hit me with an ashtray," he said.
Mr Li said he was released a few months later after paying a "fine". Later he escaped Chongqing and has been on the run, fearing for his safety, ever since.
"Bo Xilai and Wang Lijun have done evil," he said.
Political scandal
Wang Lijun fled to the US consulate in Chengdu, a few hours' drive from Chongqing, in February this year, apparently after a disagreement with Mr Bo.
He was eventually persuaded to leave the consulate and immediately disappeared from public view. He is now under investigation.
Mr Wang is believed to have given the Chinese authorities information about Mr Bo and his connection to the death of Mr Heywood.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
They sacrificed the law to enforce cruel procedures”
Li Zhuang
Lawyer
That resulted in the sacking of Mr Bo, a member of the party's politburo, and the detention of the politician's wife, Gu Kailai. She is accused of being involved in the British businessman's suspected murder.
Most attention in this affair has been focused on the death of Mr Heywood and the fall from grace of one of China's leading politicians.
But others are now starting to look at how Bo Xilai ran Chongqing after he became party secretary there in 2007.
One man who backs up the claims of torture is Li Zhuang, a Beijing lawyer who went to Chongqing to defend one of those accused in the mafia crackdown.
Mr Li was then himself charged with trying to persuade his client to claim he had been tortured.
He was arrested and spent a year and a half in prison. The lawyer said he was also tortured.
"They sat me down on what they call a 'tiger chair'. The chair is secured to the ground and you're strapped in at the waist," said Mr Li. The businessman Li Jun said his wife was also forced to undergo interrogation in the 'tiger chair'.
'Cruel procedures'
The lawyer added: "I sat there for three days and three nights. They don't let you sleep and restrict what you can eat and drink." He said others had to sit there for a longer time.
Politburo member Wang Yang (right) had praised Mr Bo's work in Chongqing
Li Zhuang said the effect of Mr Bo's Chongqing crackdown on the country's legal system was huge. "They sacrificed the law to enforce cruel procedures," he said.
Claims that Mr Bo's crime busting exploits did not follow the laws they were meant to uphold have been around for some time.
But that did not stop China's top leaders visiting Chongqing and praising its boss.
Xi Jinping, the man expected to become China's next leader, and other members of the standing committee of the party's politburo all went there to give praise.
Wang Yang, a politburo member and in charge of Guangdong province, was perhaps the last national leader to congratulate Mr Bo, who succeeded him as party secretary in Chongqing.
"There have been big changes in Chongqing in recent years. As someone who has worked there, I feel happy about the changes too," he said.
Others, including the businessman Li Jun and lawyer Li Zhuang, do not share that view. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 25-04-2012 10:57 Post subject: |
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The son also rises.
| Quote: | Bo Xilai scandal: Son Bo Guagua defends lifestyle
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17835831
Since Bo Xilai's downfall, his family's lifestyle has come under immense media scrutiny
Bo Xilai scandal
Key players
Scandal timeline
Who was Briton Heywood?
Bo Xilai's life in the fast lane
The son of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has defended his lifestyle in an open letter to his university.
In the letter to the Harvard Crimson, Bo Guagua said he was "deeply concerned" about his family.
He denied he was a bad student, citing his grades, and set out how his education had been funded.
The whereabouts of his father are unknown and his mother is being investigated in connection with the death of British national Neil Heywood.
The removal of Bo Xilai, who was once tipped for China's highest office, has become the country's biggest political scandal in years.
'Rumours and allegations'
Since Chinese authorities announced he had been sacked from his political positions earlier this month a stream of reports concerning him and his family have emerged.
Analysis
Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing
This statement sheds little light on the central saga about how the death of the British businessman Neil Heywood is linked to the political downfall of Chinese politician Bo Xilai.
It deals solely with the history, lifestyle and rumours surrounding Mr Bo's son, Bo Guagua.
But the son is connected to this case. China has suggested the younger Mr Bo had business connections with Mr Heywood that went wrong.
That is why it is important to hear Bo Guagua's thoughts. And in a case like this, with few facts and many rumours, this statement is a valuable document.
Bo Guagua has attempted to dismiss some of the most colourful rumours about him. He said he has never driven a Ferrari, as some have claimed.
But he has confirmed he lived a privileged lifestyle, and Chinese people might now want to know more about the lives of all its top politicians and their families.
Some reports have focused on the reportedly extravagant and well-funded lifestyle of his son, Bo Guagua, who is currently studying at Harvard University after completing his degree at Oxford.
Since the allegations against his family emerged, the 24-year-old has kept a low profile. But in the letter published on Tuesday on the Harvard Crimson website, he said he wanted to address recent media reports.
"I am deeply concerned about the events surrounding my family, but I have no comments to make regarding the ongoing investigation," he wrote.
"It is impossible to address all of the rumours and allegations about myself, but I will state the facts regarding some of the most pertinent claims."
His education, he said, had been funded by scholarships and his mother's earnings as a lawyer. His grades, which he cited, had earned him his university places.
While at Oxford University he had taken part in social events and extra-curricular activities - but these were a "regular feature of social life" at university.
In China, he said, he had never participated in a for-profit business. And he did not drive a Ferrari, he said, addressing a specific claim.
The Wall Street Journal reported last year that he had arrived at then US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman's residence to pick up his daughter in a red Ferrari.
"I understand that at the present, the public interest in my life has not diminished," Bo Guagua said.
"However, I wholeheartedly request that members of the press kindly refrain from intruding into the lives of my teachers, friends and classmates."
Benjamin Samuels, president of Harvard Crimson, told the BBC the statement came from Bo Guagua's Harvard's Kennedy School e-mail address, and that the team had then spoken to him via telephone to verify the statement was his. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 26-04-2012 13:28 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Bo Xilai scandal: China president 'was wire-tapped'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-17850570
Since Bo Xilai's downfall, his activities have come under immense media scrutiny
Bo Xilai scandal
Key players
Scandal timeline
Who was Briton Heywood?
Bo Xilai's life in the fast lane
Bo Xilai ran a wire-tapping system that extended as far as China's president, the New York Times has reported.
Citing "nearly a dozen people with party ties", it said the disgraced Mr Bo ran a wire-tapping network across Chongqing, where he was party chief.
His officials even listened to a phone call involving Hu Jintao, it said.
Chinese authorities have not mentioned wire-tapping in reports about Bo Xilai, whose wife is being investigated over the death of a British national.
They are investigating Mr Bo over "serious discipline violations", while his wife, Gu Kailai, has been detained as a suspect in the death of Neil Heywood, the British businessman found dead in Chongqing in November 2011.
Chinese authorities say they believe Mr Heywood was murdered.
Mr Bo - a high flier once expected to reach the top echelons of office - has not been seen in public since he was removed from his political posts, in the biggest political shake-up in China in years.
'Direct challenge'
Bo Xilai's wire-tapping operation began several years ago as part of an anti-crime campaign in Chongqing, the New York Times said.
It was handled by Wang Lijun, the police chief whose flight to the US consulate in February signalled the start of Mr Bo's downfall, and expanded into targeting political figures.
Continue reading the main story
At the scene
Martin Patience
BBC News, Chongqing
Top politician Bo Xilai and his police chief - Wang Lijun - were obsessed with security, say sources in Chongqing.
The police chief conducted regular security sweeps of four hotels in the city, which were often used by Mr Bo and his associates. The establishments included the Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel where British businessman Neil Heywood died last November.
One source - with close links to the police and Chongqing authorities - told the BBC that Wang Lijun would have food tested at hotels where he ate apparently because he feared poisoning. The police chief also travelled with his own security detail when in the city.
As for Bo Xilai, the politician rebuilt the government compound when he became Chongqing's party secretary in 2007. According to the source, that included building an underground tunnel to his office complex.
Last year, the paper reported, "operatives were caught intercepting a conversation between the office of Mr Hu and Liu Guanglei, a top party law-and-order official whom Mr Wang had replaced as police chief".
A conversation between Minister of Supervision Ma Wen, who was visiting Chongqing, and Mr Hu himself was also monitored, the paper said.
Authorities in Beijing found out and began investigating, straining the relationship between Mr Wang and Bo Xilai.
The wire-tapping "was seen as a direct challenge to central authorities", the newspaper reported, citing party insiders.
Reuters news agency reported last week, citing an unidentified source, on Wang Lijun's involvement in a sophisticated surveillance and bugging operation in Chongqing.
It said this week that the monitoring helped Mr Bo and Mr Wang thwart central government investigations, again citing unidentified sources.
On the telephone call involving Hu Jintao the agency, citing a local source in Chongqing, said Mr Bo had explained the move as an equipment mistake.
These new claims will add to the sense that this scandal has exposed deep rifts and mistrust at the very highest level of China's Communist Party, reports the BBC's Damian Grammaticas from Beijing.
Also important were fears that Mr Bo, seen as a divisive populist, could not be trusted if elevated to the highest levels in the party, our correspondent adds.
Bo Xilai's fall from grace comes with China due to begin its once-in-a-decade leadership change in October.
Since the scandal erupted, the lifestyle and political and business dealings of he and his family have come under intense media scrutiny.
His brother has resigned as director of a Hong Kong-based company, a day after his son issued a statement defending his lifestyle. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 18-06-2012 11:45 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Top chief says Bo Xilai scandal 'damaged' China's image
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18483210
Zhang Dejiang replaced Bo Xilai as Chongqing leader in March
Related Stories
China: Trouble at the top?
Bo Xilai scandal: Timeline
Bo Xilai scandal: Key players
The new leader of China's city of Chongqing has said that the Bo Xilai scandal "gravely damaged" the image of the country and the Communist Party.
Zhang Dejiang spoke at a municipal party congress ahead of a major Communist Party leadership change in October.
Former party chief Bo Xilai was sacked in March and is under investigation for breaking party discipline.
His wife is a suspect in the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.
The scandal surrounding Mr Bo, seen as the biggest political shake-up in China in years, made headlines and exposed divisions in the Communist Party leadership.
Mr Zhang, who replaced Mr Bo in March, said that the work of the city's party committee had some "problems and deficiencies".
"Especially the Wang Lijun incident, death of Neil Heywood and serious discipline problems of comrade Bo Xilai, which have gravely damaged the party and nation's image, and seriously affected Chongqing's reforms and development," he said, based on a transcript of his speech published on a government news website.
But he added that Chongqing's achievements over the last five years and the hard work of other officials must be strictly separated from the scandal surrounding Bo Xilai.
Mr Zhang said that the need to "resolutely uphold the principle that all are equal before the law, and never let any person or group put themselves above the law" was important.
"Leading officials must especially set an example in following the law," he said.
Mr Bo - a high flier who was once expected to reach the top echelons of office - has not been seen in public since he was removed from his political posts.
Reports say that he is under house arrest in Beijing, while his wife is in formal detention.
His downfall was triggered when his police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to the US consulate, reportedly to seek asylum after falling out with Mr Bo over his investigation into the death of Neil Heywood.
Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing on 15 November 2011.
Local officials initially said he died of excessive drinking, but the government announced in April that it was investigating Mr Bo's wife in connection with the case. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 19-06-2012 21:45 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Bo Xilai scandal: Cambodia arrests French architect
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18509447
Both Bo Xilai (R) and his wife Gu Kailai (L) are now in detention in China
Related Stories
Bo Xilai 'damaged' China's image
China: Trouble at the top?
Bo Xilai scandal: Timeline
A French architect with alleged links to the scandal-hit Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been arrested in Cambodia, say the French embassy and police.
French officials say they are trying to clarify the reason for the arrest of Patrick Devillers, 52.
He is reported to have had close business ties to Mr Bo and in particular to his wife, Gu Kailai.
Mrs Gu is in detention in China over suspected involvement in the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Mr Bo, the former leader of the south-western Chinese megacity of Chongqing, was sacked in March and is under investigation for flouting party discipline.
Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naruth told the AFP news agency Mr Devillers was arrested "about two weeks ago".
He said the arrest was made "with the co-operation of China", but said Cambodian authorities were considering "whether to send him to China or France".
"China has demanded he be sent to China because he committed offences there," he told AFP.
The New York Times calls Mr Devillers "the most mysterious figure" in the Bo Xilai affair.
It says he helped Mr Bo redesign the Chinese city of Dalian in the 1990s, and set up a now-defunct company with Mrs Gu in the UK in 2000.
But it quotes Mr Devillers' father, Michel, as saying his son was "useless" in business and, in truth, "an artist". |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 22-06-2012 20:45 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Bo Xilai scandal: Cambodia holds on to French architect
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18547071
Mr Devillers reportedly had close ties with Bo Xilai (R) and his wife Gu Kailai
y
Related Stories
Architect 'linked to Bo' arrested
Bo Xilai 'damaged' China's image
China: Trouble at the top?
Cambodia has said that it will not extradite a French architect with alleged links to the scandal-hit Chinese politician Bo Xilai, pending further investigation.
Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said late on Thursday that Patrick Devillers, 52, would not be sent to China or France.
He was arrested on 13 June upon China's request, police say.
He reportedly had close ties to Mr Bo and his wife, Gu Kailai, a suspect in the death of British man Neil Heywood.
Cambodian officials said they needed more evidence before they could consider Mr Devillers' extradition. It remains unclear where he is being held.
"The decision has been made. We have decided to keep him here, we are not sending [him] anywhere. We won't send him to either France or China," Hor Namhong said.
A spokesman from the foreign ministry also said Cambodia had seen no evidence that Mr Devillers had committed a crime.
Officials had previously said that they were considering whether to send Mr Devillers, who has been living in Cambodia for the past five years, to China or France.
Mr Bo, the former high-flying leader of the south-western Chinese megacity of Chongqing, was sacked in March and is under investigation for flouting Communist Party discipline.
His downfall was triggered when his police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to the US consulate, reportedly to seek asylum after falling out with Mr Bo over his investigation into the death of Neil Heywood.
Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing on 15 November 2011.
Local officials initially said he died of excessive drinking, but the government announced in April that it was investigating Mr Bo's wife in connection with the case. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 24-06-2012 14:19 Post subject: |
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I'm sure that the Chinese police could convince me to admit that I kidnapped Lord Lucan and Shergar.
| Quote: | Wife of Bo Xilai confesses to murder of British businessman
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0623/1224318509408.html
CLIFFORD COONAN in Beijing
Sat, Jun 23, 2012
GU KAILAI, the wife of purged Communist Party leader Bo Xilai, has confessed to murdering British businessman Neil Heywood in Chongqing last year. The reason was to stop him revealing details of her financial misdeeds, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun has reported.
The Chinese government has maintained that Ms Gu was “strongly suspected” of involvement in the death in November of Mr Heywood, who had business ties with her and Mr Bo.
Mr Bo was stripped of his post as Communist Party secretary of Chongqing in southwest China in April, in what has been China’s biggest political scandal in decades, and neither he nor his wife have been seen in public since.
Citing Chinese Communist Party sources, the paper said Ms Gu was being interrogated in a government-affiliated facility in north China.
She told investigators she killed Mr Heywood to stop him revealing illegal transfers abroad of $6 billion (€4.78 billion) that the Briton had allegedly helped her to organise by opening accounts and exchanging currencies. The transfers were sent abroad in the names of relatives and friends in the US, Britain and elsewhere to conceal her illegal earnings.
Mr Bo was purged after his protegé and former police chief Wang Lijun fled to the US consulate in Chengdu and revealed suspicions that Ms Gu and Zhang Xiaojun, an aide in their household, were behind Mr Heywood’s death.
Initially Chinese authorities said Mr Heywood died from alcohol poisoning or a heart attack, but they now believe he may have been poisoned. The Communist Party’s central leadership set up a special investigation team in February to re-investigate the case.
According to the investigation report circulated among senior cadres, Ms Gu (53) admitted to killing her former associate after feeling “driven into a corner” by the investigation into her financial dealings and she had provided a specific explanation about how she killed Mr Heywood.
The authorities are also investigating whether Mr Bo (62) was aware of his wife’s deeds, the sources said.
The investigation has seen hundreds of Mr Bo’s associates detained or questioned, from household staff to senior corporate executives.
Ms Gu has also confessed to taking bribes and sending money overseas. She has told investigators she received money from a number of companies trying to win influence with her husband.
The report was drawn up by a top Communist Party bureau under President Hu Jintao, who is also general secretary of the party.
After seeing the report, the leadership decided to indict Ms Gu, Asahi Shinbun said.
The stage is now set for Ms Gu to go to trial. The government is keen to get this under way in the summer to have it out of the way before a once-in-a-decade leadership transition in the autumn, when President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao are due to hand over the reins of power to Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang.
The charges against Ms Gu are criminal and it is rare in China that anyone brought to such a trial is found innocent. It is likely she will either be executed, or have a death sentence suspended for two years, which usually means it will not be carried out.
Meanwhile, Cambodia has said it will not extradite a Frenchman it detained on June 13th for suspected involvement in Mr Heywood’s death, saying the authorities need more evidence of wrongdoing.
Foreign minister Hor Namhong said Cambodian officials detained architect Patrick Devillers at China’s request but needed more evidence to hand him over to another nation. “We have decided to keep him here,” Mr Namhong said.
Mr Devillers was closely linked to Mr Bo, Ms Gu and Mr Heywood.France is putting pressure on Phnom Penh to hand Mr Devillers over to French custody. |
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kamalktk Great Old One Joined: 05 Feb 2011 Total posts: 705 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: 24-06-2012 15:04 Post subject: |
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| ramonmercado wrote: | | I'm sure that the Chinese police could convince me to admit that I kidnapped Lord Lucan and Shergar. |
Wait, you didn't?  |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 24-06-2012 15:13 Post subject: |
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| kamalktk wrote: | | ramonmercado wrote: | | I'm sure that the Chinese police could convince me to admit that I kidnapped Lord Lucan and Shergar. |
Wait, you didn't? |
No, in those time frames I was working for MI6 trying to bring down Harold Wilson and setting up the original Global Warming Conspiracy.
http://orbital-decay1.blogspot.ie/p/global-warming-conspiracy.html |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 18-07-2012 14:03 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Bo Xilai scandal: French architect 'leaves Cambodia'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18881679
Mr Devillers is said to have had ties with Bo Xilai (R) and his wife Gu Kailai
Related Stories
Architect 'linked to Bo' arrested
Bo Xilai 'damaged' China's image
China: Trouble at the top?
A French architect with alleged links to scandal-hit Chinese politician Bo Xilai has left Cambodia for China, officials say.
Patrick Devillers was detained in Phnom Penh on 13 June at China's request.
He reportedly had close ties to Mr Bo and his wife, Gu Kailai, a suspect in the death of British man Neil Heywood.
Cambodia had said he would not be sent to either China or France without an investigation, but officials said he left on Tuesday of his own free will.
"China wants him as a witness," Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told Reuters news agency.
Mr Devillers, 52, has been living in Cambodia for the past five years. Reports said he checked into a Shanghai-bound flight late on Tuesday.
Mr Bo, the former high-flying leader of the south-western Chinese megacity of Chongqing, was sacked in March and is under investigation for flouting Communist Party discipline.
His downfall was triggered when his police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to the US consulate, reportedly to seek asylum after falling out with Mr Bo over his investigation into the death of Neil Heywood.
Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing on 15 November 2011.
Local officials initially said he died of excessive drinking, but the government announced in April that it was investigating Mr Bo's wife in connection with the case.
Mr Bo and his wife have not been seen in public since then. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 27-07-2012 23:23 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Bo Xilai's wife charged with Heywood murder
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2012/0727/1224320884125.html
CLIFFORD COONAN
Fri, Jul 27, 2012
PROSECUTORS HAVE formally charged the wife of purged Chinese politician Bo Xilai with the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, the latest development in China’s biggest political scandal in two decades.
Xinhua News Agency reported that Gu Kailai, and her son, Bo Guagua, fell out with Mr Heywood over “economic interests”. An employee of the family, Zhang Xiaojun, was also charged.
“Worrying about Neil Heywood’s threat to her son’s personal security, Bogu Kailai along with Zhang Xiaojun, the other defendant, poisoned Neil Heywood to death,” Xinhua reported.
The agency used the unusual formulation “Bogu”, which joins Ms Gu’s name with her husband’s, to describe her.
“The facts of the two defendants’ crime are clear, and the evidence is irrefutable and substantial. Therefore, the two defendants should be charged with intentional homicide,” the Xinhua report said.
Mr Bo was stripped of his post as Communist Party secretary of the southwestern city of Chongqing in March in what looked like a political purge.
There was no reference to Mr Bo or what was happening to him, nor did the report say when Ms Gu’s trial would be held. She and Mr Zhang were charged in the eastern city of Hefei, far from both Beijing and Chongqing.
As a rising star in the Communist Party, Mr Bo was poised to move from being leader of Chongqing to a position at the top table of the ruling elite. However, since his purge in March, he has been under investigation for breaching Communist Party discipline.
Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing. Local police initially said he died after excessive drinking, but subsequently the official version was that he was poisoned and Mr Bo and his family were being investigated.
The government is keen to have the trial out of the way before a leadership transition in autumn.
It is rare in China that anyone facing a criminal trial is found innocent. It is likely Ms Gu will be executed or have a death sentence suspended for two years, which usually means it will not be carried out. |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 09-08-2012 12:46 Post subject: |
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Farce proceeds.
| Quote: | Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai trial for Heywood murder ends
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19190993
The BBC's John Sudworth said the evidence had been described as ''clear and sufficient''
y
Bo Xilai scandal
Profile: Gu Kailai
Who was Neil Heywood?
Key players
Scandal timeline
The trial of Gu Kailai for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood has ended in the Chinese city of Hefei, after one day.
A court official told reporters Ms Gu had not contested the charge that she killed Mr Heywood by poisoning in 2011.
The date of the verdict would be announced later, the official said.
Ms Gu is the wife of former high-flying politician Bo Xilai, whose career in office was ended by the scandal surrounding Mr Heywood's death.
Ms Gu, herself a prominent lawyer, is on trial along with her aide, Zhang Xiaojun, who was described by the court as an accomplice.
Two British diplomats were in court to observe the trial, but no foreign media were given permission to attend.
In an unusual news briefing outside the court, the court official, Tang Yigan, said Ms Gu and Mr Zhang "did not raise objections to the facts and the charges of intentional homicide".
'Ample evidence'
Reading from a statement, Mr Tang said the prosecution alleged that Ms Gu had been involved in a business dispute with Mr Heywood, and believed he had "threatened the personal safety of her son... and decided to kill him".
The court said Zhang Xiaojun carried the poison which allegedly killed Mr Heywood
The prosecution alleged she had arranged for Mr Heywood to travel to Chongqing from Beijing, accompanied by Mr Zhang.
Ms Gu spent the evening of 13 November with Mr Heywood at the Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel, where they drank tea and alcoholic drinks.
"After Heywood became intoxicated, vomited and asked for a drink of water, she poured a poison into his mouth that had been prepared beforehand and that she had given to Zhang Xiaojun to bring along, causing Heywood's death," said the statement.
"The facts of the crime are clear and backed by ample evidence," it said.
Mr Tang said Ms Gu had been "in good shape and mentally stable," throughout the trial.
"The trial committee will announce the verdict after discussion," he said.
The two defendants face a possible death penalty if found guilty.
China's state news agency Xinhua later reported that four police officers would go on trial on Friday, accused of trying to protect Ms Gu from prosecution.
Political fall
Mr Heywood's body was found at the hotel in Chongqing in November 2011.
Bo Xilai had been considered a potential future leader of China
The death was recorded as a heart attack at the time, but four months later Mr Bo's right-hand man, police chief Wang Lijun, fled to a US consulate to allege murder and a massive cover-up.
Bo Xilai was the Communist party head in Chongqing at the time of Mr Heywood's death.
He had been seen as a strong contender for one of China's top jobs, as the country prepares to install a new generation of leaders.
But he was sacked in March and is currently under investigation for unspecified "disciplinary violations.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Hefei says the facts of the case may be as they have been reported by the court, but that there is a strong political element to the story.
The case raises questions about corruption at the highest level, says our correspondent, so it is almost certain that this will be a politically managed trial as well as a criminal one.
The court may take into account mitigating circumstances in its verdict, he adds, including the assertion that Ms Gu had been concerned for her safety and that of her son.
Ms Gu, Mr Zhang and Mr Bo have not been seen in public since April, when the investigation was announced.
One of Ms Gu's supporters, who gave his name as Mr Han, criticised the process of the trial, and said she should have been allowed to choose her own lawyer rather than accept one appointed by the court.
"She should have been granted the right to defend herself to the media," he said.
"I won't accept any verdict before I hear their side of the story."
The trial is being held in Hefei, 1,000 km (650 miles) from Chongqing.
More on This Story |
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| ramonmercado Psycho Punk
Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Total posts: 17931 Location: Dublin Gender: Male |
| Posted: 10-08-2012 22:09 Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai 'admits Neil Heywood murder'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19211728
Gu Kailai: "A tragedy happened because of me"
Bo Xilai scandal
Accounts emerge of trial
Profile: Gu Kailai
Who was Neil Heywood?
Key players
Gu Kailai has admitted murdering British businessman Neil Heywood and blamed her actions on a mental breakdown, Chinese state media report.
Xinhua news agency said Ms Gu, the wife of former top politician Bo Xilai, had apologised for what she described as the "tragedy" of Mr Heywood's death.
She said she would "accept and calmly face any sentence", the agency added.
Ms Gu was charged with the murder of Mr Heywood, who was found dead in November 2011, in a one-day trial on Thursday.
Her aide, Zhang Xiaojun, also admitted his involvement in the murder and wanted to apologise to Mr Heywood's relatives, Xinhua reported.
The prosecution alleged Ms Gu and her son Bo Guagua fell out with Mr Heywood over "economic interests" and that Ms Gu was worried about "Neil Heywood's threat to her son's personal security".
'Like a nightmare'
The Xinhua report said that Ms Gu, a prominent lawyer, had addressed the court towards the end of its session, and said: "Those few days last November, when I saw how my son was in danger, I suffered a nervous breakdown. A tragedy happened because of me.
"This case has been like a big stone pressing down on me for the past half year. Looking back now, it has really been like a nightmare."
Zhang Xiaojun also wanted to apologise, Xinhua said
Xinhua reported that Ms Gu was suffering from depression and was dependent on drugs.
She and Mr Zhang face the death penalty if convicted, but observers say the suggestion that Ms Gu was protecting her son could be used as a justification for a degree of leniency.
Earlier on Friday, four senior police officers admitted charges of covering up evidence linking Ms Gu to the murder, a court official said.
They include Guo Weiguo, former deputy chief of Chongqing's Public Security Bureau, and Li Yang, former chief of the bureau's criminal section, Xinhua news agency said.
Court officials did not specify why the officers had sought to cover up the murder and made no mention of Mr Bo, the Reuters news agency reported.
The dates for the verdicts in both trials are yet to be announced.
According to the prosecution, Ms Gu had met Mr Heywood at the Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel, where they drank tea and alcoholic drinks. Mr Zhang was also present.
"After Heywood became intoxicated, vomited and asked for a drink of water, she poured a poison into his mouth that had been prepared beforehand and that she had given to Zhang Xiaojun to bring along, causing Heywood's death," a court statement read.
'Disciplinary violations'
Continue reading the main story
TIMELINE: BO XILAI SCANDAL
6 Feb: Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun flees to the US consulate in Chengdu
15 Mar: Bo Xilai is removed from his post in Chongqing
20 Mar: Rumours suggest Mr Bo could be linked to the death of British businessman Neil Heywood
10 Apr: Bo Xilai is suspended from party posts and his wife, Gu Kailai, is investigated over Mr Heywood's death
26 July: Gu Kailai and Bo family employee Zhang Xiaojun are charged with killing Mr Heywood
9 Aug: Gu Kailai goes on trial for murder
Bo Xilai scandal: Timeline
The case appears to have ended the career of high-flying politician Bo Xilai, who had been seen as a strong contender for one of China's top jobs, as the country prepares to install a new generation of leaders.
Seven members of the nine-strong politburo Standing Committee are due to retire soon.
Mr Bo was the Communist party head in the city of Chongqing when Mr Heywood's body was found at a hotel in November 2011.
At the time the death was recorded as a heart attack. But four months later Mr Bo's right-hand man, police chief Wang Lijun, fled to a US consulate to allege murder and a massive cover-up.
Media reports said Mr Wang had since been detained and could be put on trial as early as next week.
Mr Bo was sacked in March and is currently under investigation for unspecified "disciplinary violations".
He has not been seen in public since the investigation into his wife was announced.
Ms Gu's Oxford-educated son, Bo Guagua, graduated from Harvard University in May. He confirmed in a recent email to US broadcaster CNN that he had given a witness statement to his mother's defence team.
"As I was cited as a motivating factor for the crimes accused of my mother, I have already submitted my witness statement," the 24-year-old wrote.
"I hope that my mother will have the opportunity to review them." |
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