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Trial Of Ex-Chongqing Party Chief
Bo Xilai mounts feisty defence
IN COURT: Bo Xilai faces various charges, including bribery
BEFORE he fell from grace, ex-Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai was easily the most flamboyant figure in mainland Chinese politics
Bo struck to form when he appeared in a Jinan court yesterday to answer charges of corruption and abuse of power.
Not only he refute a bribery charge - one of three offences he is accused of - Bo also mounted a feisty defence, using strong and colourful language.
For instance, he lambasted the testimony of key witness Tang Xiaolin as "the ugly performance of a person selling his soul". Bo also dismissed as "comical and laughable" a written testimony that the prosecutors obtained from his wife Gu Kailai.
But some analysts suggest that Bo's dramatic turn in court could be a choreographed move.
Wuhan-based legal professor Qin Qianhong said that Bo likely agreed to this in exchange for a lighter sentence and for his son to be left alone.
"They may have made a pact to make the public believe that the trial is not stage-managed and that China's rule of law is being upheld," said Prof Qin of Wuhan University's law school.
He also believes that the prosecution implicated Bo's son Guagua for the same aim of debunking suspicious of a staged trial.
Prof Qin thinks it is unlikely the Chinese Communist Party would go after the younger Bo, who is studying in the US and has so far been left out of the case.
"They may deem it more useful to keep Bo's son as a bargaining chip to rein in the Bo family and his supporters from stirring up more trouble in the future," added Prof Qin.
Bo Xilai mounts feisty defence
IN COURT: Bo Xilai faces various charges, including bribery
BEFORE he fell from grace, ex-Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai was easily the most flamboyant figure in mainland Chinese politics
Bo struck to form when he appeared in a Jinan court yesterday to answer charges of corruption and abuse of power.
Not only he refute a bribery charge - one of three offences he is accused of - Bo also mounted a feisty defence, using strong and colourful language.
For instance, he lambasted the testimony of key witness Tang Xiaolin as "the ugly performance of a person selling his soul". Bo also dismissed as "comical and laughable" a written testimony that the prosecutors obtained from his wife Gu Kailai.
But some analysts suggest that Bo's dramatic turn in court could be a choreographed move.
Wuhan-based legal professor Qin Qianhong said that Bo likely agreed to this in exchange for a lighter sentence and for his son to be left alone.
"They may have made a pact to make the public believe that the trial is not stage-managed and that China's rule of law is being upheld," said Prof Qin of Wuhan University's law school.
He also believes that the prosecution implicated Bo's son Guagua for the same aim of debunking suspicious of a staged trial.
Prof Qin thinks it is unlikely the Chinese Communist Party would go after the younger Bo, who is studying in the US and has so far been left out of the case.
"They may deem it more useful to keep Bo's son as a bargaining chip to rein in the Bo family and his supporters from stirring up more trouble in the future," added Prof Qin.
