Wang Lijun, the former Chongqing vice-mayor whose attempted defection to the US in February brought down Bo Xilai, may go to court next month
Staff Reporters 21 May 2012
The former Chongqing police chief whose flight to a US consulate in February triggered China’s worst political crisis in more than 20 years will be tried for treason as early as next month, according to sources who have been briefed on the case.
A special legal team has already been set up for the trial of Wang Lijun, who is at the centre of the political storm which brought down his former boss and one-time Communist Party high-flyer, Bo Xilai.
The trial will take place in Sichuan province’s capital, Chengdu, home to the US consulate where Wang fled. It remains unknown whether the trial will be open to the press or the public, the sources said. Wang could face the death penalty.
If the trial goes ahead as reported, it will serve as a good indication that the outcome of two other connected cases, those of Bo and of his wife Gu Kailai, a murder suspect in the mysterious death of a British businessman, will also be known shortly.
Analysts say the central leadership intends to wrap up the political scandal before an important party congress slated for later this year, as Bo’s downfall has given rise to endless speculation on a split in the top echelon of the Communist Party.
The 18th Communist Party Congress, which will see a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, was even rumoured to have been postponed until next year because the top leaders could not agree on how to deal with the Chongqing scandal.
The multi-layered scandal is being dealt with by three party or state organisations. The Ministry of State Security has been on Wang’s case since early February. Bo, the former Chongqing party chief and Politburo member, is being investigated by the party’s top disciplinary agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). And the Public Security authorities are looking into the alleged murder of British citizen Neil Heywood in which Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, is a prime suspect.
Hong Kong-based China law expert Ong Yew-kim said yesterday that he believed Wang could hardly be sentenced to death “as he neither killed anyone, nor had been caught in possession of weaponry”.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if he receives eight or 10 years of jail terms,” Ong said.
Another source in Chongqing said earlier that Wang, despite his defection attempt, had been acknowledged to “have made a major contribution” to investigations into the Bo scandal.
Wang, who was also vice-mayor in Chongqing, fled to the US consulate in the adjacent city of Chengdu in early February, days after he had been removed from his post in the municipal police force.
Bo was later sacked as the party chief of Chongqing and suspended from the decision-making Politburo. Xinhua’s earlier reports said that Bo had seriously breached party discipline, without elaborating further, and his wife had been placed under criminal investigation over the death of Neil Heywood.
“In a bid to have both cases wrapped up before the party congress, relevant departments are at present sparing no effort and racing against the clock,” said the sources, who otherwise gave no clue as to when exactly the verdicts on the couple would be handed down.
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Wang Lijun in treason trial
Wang Lijun, the former Chongqing vice-mayor whose attempted defection to the US in February brought down Bo Xilai, may go to court next month
Staff Reporters
21 May 2012
The former Chongqing police chief whose flight to a US consulate in February triggered China’s worst political crisis in more than 20 years will be tried for treason as early as next month, according to sources who have been briefed on the case.
A special legal team has already been set up for the trial of Wang Lijun, who is at the centre of the political storm which brought down his former boss and one-time Communist Party high-flyer, Bo Xilai.
The trial will take place in Sichuan province’s capital, Chengdu, home to the US consulate where Wang fled. It remains unknown whether the trial will be open to the press or the public, the sources said. Wang could face the death penalty.
If the trial goes ahead as reported, it will serve as a good indication that the outcome of two other connected cases, those of Bo and of his wife Gu Kailai, a murder suspect in the mysterious death of a British businessman, will also be known shortly.
Analysts say the central leadership intends to wrap up the political scandal before an important party congress slated for later this year, as Bo’s downfall has given rise to endless speculation on a split in the top echelon of the Communist Party.
The 18th Communist Party Congress, which will see a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, was even rumoured to have been postponed until next year because the top leaders could not agree on how to deal with the Chongqing scandal.
The multi-layered scandal is being dealt with by three party or state organisations. The Ministry of State Security has been on Wang’s case since early February. Bo, the former Chongqing party chief and Politburo member, is being investigated by the party’s top disciplinary agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). And the Public Security authorities are looking into the alleged murder of British citizen Neil Heywood in which Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, is a prime suspect.
Hong Kong-based China law expert Ong Yew-kim said yesterday that he believed Wang could hardly be sentenced to death “as he neither killed anyone, nor had been caught in possession of weaponry”.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if he receives eight or 10 years of jail terms,” Ong said.
Another source in Chongqing said earlier that Wang, despite his defection attempt, had been acknowledged to “have made a major contribution” to investigations into the Bo scandal.
Wang, who was also vice-mayor in Chongqing, fled to the US consulate in the adjacent city of Chengdu in early February, days after he had been removed from his post in the municipal police force.
Bo was later sacked as the party chief of Chongqing and suspended from the decision-making Politburo. Xinhua’s earlier reports said that Bo had seriously breached party discipline, without elaborating further, and his wife had been placed under criminal investigation over the death of Neil Heywood.
“In a bid to have both cases wrapped up before the party congress, relevant departments are at present sparing no effort and racing against the clock,” said the sources, who otherwise gave no clue as to when exactly the verdicts on the couple would be handed down.
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