Former Chinese communist party highflier Bo Xilai is to face trial on charges of corruption and abuse of power.
Bo, the Communist Party chief of Chongqing before his downfall, was charged by prosecutors on Thursday with bribery, corruption and abuse of power.
He had taken advantage of his government position to take an “extremely large amount” of money and properties, the official Xinhua news agency cited the indictment.
Bo will appear in a court in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan, Shandong province, in what was certain to be a show trial with a preordained outcome decided by top Communist leader, according to the Financial Times. No trial date has been announced yet.
He was ousted as party secretary of Chongqing and expelled from the Politburo after his wife, Gu Kalai, was accused of the murder of Neil Heywood in 2011.
Gu was found guilty of killing Heywood in a one-day trial and was given a suspended death sentence.
Bo’s fall from grace threatened the Communist Party, where he has been one of the forerunners, as it prepared for a once-in-a-decade transition of power, Bloomberg reports.
