A Chinese court rejected an appeal by fallen politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) against his corruption conviction and confirmed his life sentence yesterday, as authorities looked to draw a line under a damaging scandal.
Until last year Bo headed the southwestern city of Chongqing and was one of the highest-ranked politicians in the Chinese Communist Party, but was engulfed by a controversy that saw his wife convicted of murdering a British businessman.
He was condemned to life imprisonment on charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power last month, and analysts said yesterday’s decision meant there was no comeback for a man once tipped for the top echelons of power.
Photo: AFP
“The facts of the first instance verdict are clear, the evidence is reliable, sufficient, and the sentence is appropriate,” the Shandong Province High Court said in its ruling. “The court rules as follows: reject the appeal, uphold the original verdict. This verdict is the final ruling.”
Bo had presented 11 grounds for appeal, it said, including that his confessions in custody were “produced under pressure from officials handling the case, and as illegal evidence should be disregarded.”
State broadcaster CCTV showed a smiling Bo handcuffed in court flanked by two policemen.
At the end of the hearing they frogmarched him away, each gripping an arm and a shoulder.
Security was heavy around the courthouse in Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province, with hundreds of police officers stationed around the building.
The courts have no further obligation to reconsider his case after the appeal, lawyers said, and Bo is unlikely to appear in public again.
The appeal was considered in a “closed hearing” earlier this month without Bo present, a lawyer with direct knowledge of the case said, adding that yesterday’s announcement “will be the final verdict. After that, the process is over.”
According to Chinese law, Bo will not be able to lodge any further formal appeals, and while he can submit a “petition” to China’s supreme court, it is not required to take further action.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS