THE trial of Bo Xilai, who is charged with bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, concluded Monday at Jinan Intermediate People’s Court in Shandong Province. The trial began Aug. 22. The verdict will be announced at a date that’s yet to be decided.

    The following is an excerpt from “Details of Bo Xilai’s Trial,” a report released by Xinhua on Monday.

    Taking bribes

    Prosecutors said Bo was accused of accepting cash and property worth about 21.8 million yuan (US$3.5 million) from others, or through his wife, Bogu Kailai, or his son, Bo Guagua.

    According to the indictment, from 2000 to 2002, at the request of Tang Xiaolin, general manager of Dalian International Development Co., Bo helped Tang’s company take over the Dalian City liaison office in Shenzhen and then used the office’s land for development projects. Bo also helped Tang obtain preferential quotas to import cars, prosecutors said. Bo allegedly took advantage of his posts as mayor of Dalian, Party chief of Dalian, and governor of Liao-ning Province in doing so. From the second half of 2002 to the second half of 2005, prosecutors said, Bo thrice accepted money offered by Tang, totaling 1.1 million yuan (US$178,316).

    Evidence presented by the prosecutors, including Tang’s testimony and video recordings of Tang collected May 31, demonstrated how Tang showed his gratitude to Bo after he harvested profits through the land project in Shenzhen and imported cars.

    Bo denied that Tang had bribed him, claiming that what Tang had asked of him was official business according to official principles.

    According to the indictment, from 1999 to 2006, Bo, at the request of Xu Ming, chairman of Dalian Shide Group Co., took advantage of his position and granted Xu favors in some projects.

    The favors included helping Xu with his company’s acquisition of the Dalian Wanda Football Club, construction of a sightseeing hot air balloon in the shape of a football, a bid for the Shuangdaowan petrochemical project in Dalian, and being listed by the Ministry of Commerce as a private importer of crude oil and oil products.

    From 2001 to 2012, Bo repeatedly accepted large sums of money from Xu through his wife and Bo Guagua, the indictment said.

    The court’s investigation showed that on July 9, 2001, Bogu Kailai bought a villa in Nice, France, worth more than 2.3 million euros (US$3.1 million) with funds provided by Xu.

    Evidence presented by prosecutors showed a three-story villa with a garden, swimming pool and garage, covering 3,950 square meters, the size of half a football field.

    Evidence also alleged that Bogu and her friend, French architect Patrick Devillers, carefully orchestrated a legally intricate purchasing plan in which the villa was bought under the name of several companies rather than Bo’s family.

    Bo’s wife explained in her testimony that she wanted to conceal the purchase of her overseas property, for fears of getting her family involved or affecting Bo’s political career.

    Xu’s testimony corroborated Bogu’s testimony.

    Bo said he believed the massive evidence only proved his wife’s acquisition of the villa, and denied having anything to do with the villa, claiming absolute ignorance of the property purchase in Nice.

    Witness testimony showed that Bo was well aware of the purchase by Xu for his family.

    During the trial, prosecutors played video and audio materials from a questioning of Bogu on Aug. 10. A digital slideshow of the Villa Fontaine Saint Georges, made by Bogu herself and acquired from her home computer after prosecutors searched her house, also was played in court.

    Xu confirmed that he, Bo and Bogu had sat together in Bo’s home watching the slideshow, and that Bogu clearly explained to Bo that she had asked Xu to buy the villa so Bo Guagua would have a stable income.

    Bo said in court: “The evidence related to the property is like a huge ball, and only a thread on the ball can prove I had something to do with the villa. The thread refers to the scenario in which the slideshow was played in my Shenyang home. However, such a scenario did not take place, and the testimonies of Bogu and Xu Ming are false.”

    Dozens of financial reimbursement vouchers of the Dalian Shide Group collected by prosecutors, and several witnesses’ testimony, showed that Bogu and Bo Guagua accepted benefits worth a total of 4,431,432 yuan from Xu between 2004 and 2012.

    Xu used the money to pay for domestic and international flights, accommodation, travel and credit card debts for Bo Guagua, and to buy Bo Guagua a Segway electric scooter. Bogu told Bo about Xu’s payments, the indictment said.

    Embezzlement

    Prosecutors claimed that Bo, while Party chief of Dalian in 2000, was directly responsible for a confidential project to rebuild a venue. The project was undertaken by Wang Zhenggang, then director of the Dalian municipal bureau of urban and rural planning and land.

    According to prosecutors, after the project was completed in 2002, 5 million yuan was paid to Dalian’s municipal government. Wang consulted Bo, who was then governor of Liaoning Province, on how to manage the funds since they could not be conveniently entered into the official account due to the project’s confidential nature.

    In his court testimony, Wang said: “Bo said he needed some time to answer me when I asked the first time. One week later, I went to Shenyang to meet Bo again. I thought nobody in Dalian knew about the project and the money might as well be given to Bo for family expenses as a token of my gratitude for his promoting me. When I met Bo, I told him this idea, and Bo thought briefly and said, ‘Do it then. Go to Bogu for details.’ He also phoned Bogu Kailai.”

    Testimony from multiple witnesses and transfer records from multiple banks obtained by prosecutors show the 5 million yuan allocated as project funds was entirely transferred into an account provided by Bogu between May 2002 and March 2005.

    Testimony by Bogu read: “When the thing was completed, I told Bo Xilai how it was managed. It’s all done. The money from Wang Zhenggang was received.”

    Bo said he did not remember clearly.

    Bo said Wang’s testimony was illogical and not credible.

    Abuse of power

    In January and February 2012, a series of incidents occurred in Chongqing. Bogu was suspected of the murder of British citizen Neil Heywood. Wang Lijun was removed from his post as the police chief of Chongqing and later fled to the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, in a defection attempt.

    At the time, Bo was a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chongqing Party chief.

    On Jan. 28, 2012, Wang reported to Bo Xilai regarding suspicion of an intentional homicide by Bogu. The next day, Bo rebuked Wang for framing a murder accusation against Bogu, slapping Wang’s face and smashing a cup.

    While testifying in court, Wang said Bo smacked and scolded him. Bo was employing violence to make a clear statement that Wang must stop investigating the murder case.

    Testimony by Guo Weiguo, then the deputy police chief of Chongqing and at the scene, corresponded with the account of Wang Lijun.

    “Bo Xilai summoned me, as well. Beating and rebuking Wang in front of my face, Bo was doing all he could to frighten me so that I would no longer talk of Bogu Kailai’s suspected murder,” Guo testified.

    Court investigation found that the day Bo smacked Wang, Bo approved investigations of Wang Zhi and Wang Pengfei, the two policemen who exposed the murder case on Wang Lijun’s instruction. The two policemen investigated the murder case.

    After the defection of Wang Lijun, Chong-qing police interrogated Wang Pengfei on Bo’s demand, and charged him with making false accusations and circumvention.

    On the afternoon of Feb. 1, 2012, Bo convened a high-level meeting and sacked Wang. The removal was announced the next day on Bo’s orders.

    At the trial, Bo said: “I was not prudent and was at fault on this matter. It has long been held that I dismissed Wang Lijun from his post as police chief, but that is wrong. I just readjusted his duties, assigning him to oversee affairs of industry, commerce, education, technology. I definitely had no intention of demoting him.”

    According to rules set by the central authorities, local CPC committees must get permission from superior departments in appointing or dismissing local law enforcement officials.

    Testimony by witnesses demonstrated that Bo insisted on breaking the rules and overstepped his authority by removing Wang Lijun, despite advice from several comrades.

    The court investigation found that after Wang Lijun defected on Feb. 6, 2012, Bo allowed his wife, who is not a civil servant, to take part in discussions about how to handle Wang’s defection, and sanctioned her suggestion of asking a hospital to fake a diagnosis that Wang had mental illness.

    On Feb. 7, 2012, under the watch of Bogu and a senior Chongqing official, Wu Wenkang, a hospital in Chongqing issued a false certificate declaring Wang Lijun suffered from severe depression.

    On Feb. 8, 2012, Bo approved the release of the false news that Wang was receiving “vacation-style treatment.”

    During cross-examination, Bo and his attorneys raised the issue that the witnesses, including Wang Lijun and Bogu, had major conflicts of interests with Bo, and questioned the objectivity and authenticity of their testimony. Bo said he had nothing to do with the acts of power abuse.

    The prosecutors held that testimony by Wang was consistent with the testimony he gave prior to the trial and could be verified by testimony from other witnesses and documentary evidence. (Xinhua)