Bo Xilai trial hears charges of abuse of power

The trial of the purged Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been adjourned until Monday after the court said on Sunday that all evidence has been presented and examined.

The case had moved into its potentially most dramatic phase on Saturday as the court started hearing charges of abuse of power against Mr Bo.

He is accused of having used his position as Communist party secretary of the Western Chinese municipality of Chongqing and as one of the 25 members of the politburo, the party's top policy making body, to protect his wife Gu Kailai from investigation and prosecution for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in 2011.

Mr Bo told the court on Saturday that he was willing to take some responsibility for the defection of Wang Lijun, Chongqing's former police chief, to the US consulate in Chengdu which triggered China's biggest political scandal in decades. But he insisted that he was not guilty of abuse of power.

According to records from the trial against Ms Gu, who is serving a suspended death sentence for the murder of Mr Heywood, she confessed the murder to Mr Wang who initially helped her cover it up. Mr Wang has also been jailed in connection with the murder.

Sources have said that Mr Wang went to Mr Bo with the details but his boss flew into a rage and slapped him. In February last year, after Mr Bo sacked him as police chief, Mr Wang fled to the US consulate with evidence against Ms Gu. Chongqing police chased Mr Wang and waited for him outside the US consulate, only standing down after he agreed to give himself up to the central government and security personnel from Beijing had taken him into custody.

This drama initiated the fall of Mr Bo, who at the time held high hopes of becoming a member of the country's next top leadership.

Mr Bo said in court that he had handled the incident badly because he had "lost his cool".

"I have made missteps, I have made mistakes, I am ashamed and willing to take some responsibility, but guilty or not guilty is a different question," Mr Bo said. "I did not twist the law for personal motives to shield Gu Kailai."

Mr Bo confirmed that when Mr Wang told him that Ms Gu was suspected to have been involved in the murder of Mr Heywood, he slapped the police chief and smashed a glass. "That is a problem of mine," he said, admitting to a violent temper.

Mr Bo also denied that he had dismissed Mr Wang as police chief in order to prevent an investigation of his wife and said he had reassigned him because of concern over his health.

Mr Wang testified against Mr Bo. He explained his flight to the US consulate saying his situation had been "very dangerous". While Mr Bo insisted his police chief had only said someone had reported Ms Gu as being involved in the murder, Mr Wang said he had told Mr Bo in clear terms that his wife killed the British businessman and confronted him with details.

According to Mr Wang's testimony, Mr Bo thanked him and went home but called him back the next morning to swear at him, stomp his feet and shout that he wouldn't accept the accusations. Mr Wang said Mr Bo then punched him so hard that his mouth started bleeding.

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Mr Bo's rejection of the abuse of power charge followed an equally spirited defence against charges of corruption and embezzlement, extremely unusual for a political trial like this. Although the Intermediary People's Court in the Eastern Chinese city of Jinan, where Mr Bo is tried, is publishing the proceedings only through delayed transcripts on its microblog, the feed still conveys a sense of drama.

Chinese criminal trials rarely feature many witnesses in the courtroom or extensive cross-examination. Defendants are normally advised to admit to the charges and show remorse in order to get leniency. In political cases, it is very unusual for the defendant to speak in court at length. But since his trial started on Thursday, Mr Bo has issued several detailed statements rejecting the charges and calling witnesses' credibility into question.

When the court heard the embezzlement charges earlier on Saturday, Mr Bo ridiculed Wang Zhenggang, a former underling of his in the government of the Northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, for part of his testimony.

Mr Wang said he offered to give the Bo family Rmb5m in government funds to help financially support Mr Bo's son Guagua, who studied overseas, and Ms Gu, who was with him. Mr Wang claimed that Mr Bo had called his wife in his presence and told her that the money was coming. Mr Bo said that "not even a government official with the lowest IQ" would have spoken about money on the phone.

Additional reporting by Gu Yu

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