Posts tagged ‘Chongqing’

  |   Newer Entries »
06/11/2012

* Neil Heywood: Briton killed in China ‘had spy links’

No smoke without a fire?

BBC: “A British businessman killed in China had been providing information to the British secret service, the Wall Street Journal newspaper claims.

File photo: British businessman Neil Heywood

Neil Heywood had been communicating with an MI6 officer about top politician Bo Xilai for at least a year before he died, the paper said.

The UK Foreign Office said it would not comment “on intelligence matters”.

In April, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Mr Heywood was not a government employee “in any capacity”.

The case is at the heart of China’s biggest political scandal in decades.

The November 2011 death of Mr Heywood brought down Mr Bo, the former Communist Party chief of Chongqing and a high-flier who was once tipped for top office.

Mr Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, was jailed in August for the murder of Mr Heywood at a Chongqing hotel. His former police chief, Wang Lijun, has also been jailed in connection with the scandal.

Mr Bo himself was expelled from parliament in September, stripping him of immunity from prosecution. He is accused of abuse of power, bribe-taking and violating party discipline, Chinese state media say, and is expected to go on trial in the future.

via BBC News – Neil Heywood: Briton killed in China ‘had spy links’.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/08/12/bo-xilai-scandal-gu-admits-neil-heywood-murder/

Posted in China alert, Espionage, Politics | 1 Comment »

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
29/09/2012

* Bo Xilai expelled from CPC, public office

China Daily: “Bo Xilai has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and removed from public office, according to a decision made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday.

The meeting also yielded the decision to transfer Bo’s suspected law violations and relevant evidence to judicial organs for handling.

The decisions were made after attendees at the meeting deliberated over and adopted an investigation report on Bo’s severe disciplinary violations, which had been submitted by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

At a meeting held on April 10, members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee were briefed on the investigation into the incident in which former Chongqing Vice Mayor Wang Lijun entered the US Consulate General in Chengdu without permission as well as the reinvestigation into the suspected murder of British citizen Neil Heywood by Bogu Kailai, Bo’s wife.

Based on Bo’s mistakes and responsibilities in the two cases, as well as evidence of his other discipline violations uncovered during the investigations into the two cases, the CPC Central Committee decided to suspend Bo’s membership in the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and the CPC Central Committee and the CCDI filed the case for investigation.

Investigations have found that Bo seriously violated Party disciplines while heading the city of Dalian, Liaoning Province, and the Ministry of Commerce and while serving as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and as Party chief of Chongqing Municipality.

Bo abused his power, made severe mistakes and bore major responsibility in the Wang Lijun incident and the intentional homicide case of Bogu Kailai.

He took advantage of his office to seek profits for others and received huge bribes personally and through his family.

His position was also abused by his wife Bogu Kailai to seek profits for others, and the Bo family accepted a huge amount of money and property from others.

Bo had or maintained improper sexual relationships with a number of women.

He was also found to have violated organizational and personnel disciplines and made erroneous decisions in the promotion of personnel, resulting in serious consequences.

The investigation also uncovered evidence that suggests his involvement in other crimes.”

via Bo Xilai expelled from CPC, public office[1]|chinadaily.com.cn.

See also:

Posted in Chindia Alert, corruption, Crime, Illegal practices, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
12/08/2012

* Bo Xilai scandal: Gu ‘admits Neil Heywood murder’

BBC News: “Gu Kailai has admitted murdering British businessman Neil Heywood and blamed her actions on a mental breakdown, Chinese state media report.

The state news agency Xinhua said 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 accused of poisoning Mr Heywood with cyanide last November, at her one-day trial on Thursday.

Her aide, Zhang Xiaojun, also admitted his involvement in the murder and said he wanted to apologise to Mr Heywood’s relatives, Xinhua reported in a detailed account of Thursday’s proceedings in court.”

via BBC News – Bo Xilai scandal: Gu ‘admits Neil Heywood murder’.

Incidentally, many Chinese news items use the name Bogu Kailai. That is because of the convention that the wife adopts the husband’s surname  and prefixes her surname with his. See: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/04/05/deciphering-chinese-names/

See also: 

Related articles

Posted in China alert, Crime, Justice, Law suit, Politics, Rule of law | 4 Comments »

Tags: , , , , , , ,
09/08/2012

* Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai on trial for Neil Heywood death

BBC News: “The first day of the trial of the wife of former high-flying Chinese lawmaker Bo Xilai on charges of murdering UK businessman Neil Heywood has ended.

Gu Kailai is accused of poisoning Mr Heywood in 2011 in Chongqing, where her husband was the Communist party head.

State media has called the case against her and an aide “substantial”.

The country is preparing to install a new generation of leaders, and Bo Xilai had once been seen as a strong contender for one of the top jobs.

He was sacked in March and is currently under investigation for unspecified “disciplinary violations”.

The BBC’s John Sudworth says some Chinese leaders are said to welcome the demise of such an openly ambitious colleague, but the case still needs careful handling for fear it might taint the Communist Party itself.”

via BBC News – Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai on trial for Neil Heywood death.

 

Related articles

Posted in China alert, Justice, Law suit, Politics, Rule of law | 1 Comment »

Tags: , , , , , ,
14/04/2012

* Police reinvestigate death of Neil Heywood according to law

Xinhua: “Chinese police have set up a team to reinvestigate the case that British citizen Neil Heywood was found dead in Chongqing on Nov. 15, 2011, which was alleged by Wang Lijun who entered, without authorization, the U.S. general consulate in Chengdu on Feb. 6 and stayed there, Xinhua learned from authorities.

Police authorities paid high attention to the case, and set up the team to reinvestigate the case according to law with an attitude to seek truth from facts. According to investigation results, Bogu Kailai, wife of Comrade Bo Xilai, and their son were in good terms with Heywood. However, they had conflict over economic interests, which had been intensified. According to reinvestigation results, the existing evidence indicated that Heywood died of homicide, of which Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun, an orderly at Bo’s home, are highly suspected. Bogu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun have been transferred to judicial authorities on suspected crime of intentional homicide.”

via Police reinvestigate death of Neil Heywood according to law – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

Note that Xinhua prefixed Bo to Mme Gu’s surname, which is not usual in mainland China, but common in Hong Kong and elsewhere where the wife has a business profile of her own, but wants to be associated with her husband. One wonders if this is the authorities subtle way of linking Mme Gu to Bo, who is in political disgrace.

Related post: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/04/05/deciphering-chinese-names/

Posted in China alert, Politics, Rule of law | 1 Comment »

Tags: , , , , , , ,
14/04/2012

* China ejects Bo from elite ranks, wife suspected of murder

Reuters: “China’s Communist Party has banished the country’s brashest and most controversial politician from its top ranks and detained his wife in connection with the murder of a British businessman, the most tumultuous upheaval in the nation’s leadership in decades.

The decision to cast out Bo Xilai from the party’s Central Committee and its Politburo effectively ends the career of the former high-flyer, widely seen as pressing for a top post in China’s next leadership to be decided later this year.

The official Xinhua news agency confirmed a Reuters report several hours earlier on Tuesday that Bo had been suspended from his party posts, and separately reported that his wife, Gu Kailai, was suspected in the murder of Briton Neil Heywood.

“Comrade Bo Xilai is suspected of being involved in serious disciplinary violations,” said Xinhua, citing a decision by the central party leadership to banish Bo from its top ranks.

“Police set up a team to reinvestigate the case of the British national Neil Heywood who was found dead in Chongqing,” the news agency said, referring to the sprawling southwestern municipality where Bo was party chief until he was dismissed in March as a scandal surrounding him unfolded.

It was the most dramatic convulsion in China’s secretive leadership since 1989, when Jiang Zemin was plucked from obscurity to head the Communist Party after the bloody crackdown on democracy protests in Beijing.

Jiang replaced Zhao Ziyang, who was toppled by hardliners for supporting the student movement centered on Tiananmen Square that was crushed by the army with heavy loss of life.

Xinhua said evidence indicated Heywood’s death was a homicide and Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun, an assistant in Bo’s household, were “highly suspected.” It cited a dispute over unspecified “economic interests” between Gu and Heywood that “constantly intensified”.

Gu and Zhang had been “handed over to the judicial authorities”, it said – meaning they have been detained.”

via China ejects Bo from elite ranks, wife suspected of murder | Reuters.

Posted in China alert, Politics | 4 Comments »

Tags: , , , , , ,
15/03/2012

* Bo Xilai replaced by Zhang Dejiang as Chongqing Party chief

China Daily: “Zhang Dejiang has been appointed Party chief of Chongqing, replacing Bo Xilai, according to a decision of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee announced Thursday. Bo will no longer serve as secretary, standing committee member or member of the CPC Chongqing municipal committee.

The decision was announced by Li Yuanchao, head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, at a meeting of officials in Chongqing on Thursday. Li said the CPC Central Committee made the decision after discreet consideration and based on current circumstances and the overall situation.

Zhang delivered a speech at the meeting of Chongqing officials, according to xinhuanet.com.

Zhang, born in November 1946, is a native of Tai’an, Liaoning province. He became a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in 2002 and began serving as vice premier of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, from 2008. Zhang had previously served as Party chief in Jilin, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces, respectively, between 1995 and 2007.

via Zhang Dejiang replaces Bo as Chongqing Party chief|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn.

Bo was seen to be a strong contenders for one of the seven places on the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party (total 9 members), equivalent to the inner cabinet, when the incumbents will retire this autumn due to mandatory retirement age. He was extremely successful in bringing Chongqing on from a secondary inner city into a thriving first city (one of four) in China. However, his views were seen by many of his colleagues as veering back to the left in recent times. This demotion means that he is no longer a candidate for the SC of the Politburo.

Related articles

Posted in China alert, Politics | Leave a Comment »

Tags: , ,
  |   Newer Entries »
CCChang

Law of Unintended Consequences

continuously updated blog about China & India

ChiaHou's Book Reviews

continuously updated blog about China & India

What's wrong with the world; and its economy

continuously updated blog about China & India