Bo Xilai: Husband Of Neil Heywood's Murderer Gu Kailai Sacked From China Communist Party

Bo Xilai Sacked: Charges Include Bribery, Corruption And Womanising

One of China's rising political stars, and the husband of the woman convicted of killing a British businessman, has been sacked from the Communist Party "to face charges".

Bo Xilai, the former Communist Party leader in the city of Chongqing will face prosecution for a string of offences, according to the state media agency Xinhua.

Bo will face a litany of charges, from corruption, to bribery and improper relations with women.

Open Image Modal

Bo Xilai: The Communist party has sacked the former chief of Chongqing

In a statement from the Central Committee Political Bureau, Xinhua said that he had committed "a serious violation of Party discipline".

He is said to have "taken advantage of his position, receiving stolen property, and maintained improper sexual relationships with women.

"Bo's behaviour had serious consequences, which greatly damaged the reputation of the party and the country, and had a very bad impact at home and abroad, and caused significant damage to the cause of the Party and the people.

"The whole Party must fully understand the long-term struggle against corruption. We will never allow a hiding place for this within the Party.

"We must resolutely investigate and deal with cases of violation of law and discipline, no matter who, regardless of their position or power, they should be investigated, we will not tolerate it and we will not relent, and we will never let any corrupt elements escape the punishment of party discipline and state law."

Bo had once been one of the party's leading lights, a charismatic and charming leader, and as a member of the powerful politburo, one of the party's most senior officials.

It was Chongqing's former police chief Wang Lijun, who would prove his downfall, when he went to the US consulate in Chengdu in February. Immediately afterwards, Bo's wife was arrested for the murder of Heywood, and Bo was removed from his post.

He has not been seen in public since. Wang has also been sentenced to 15 years in jail for ''bending the law, defection, abuse of power and bribetaking".

Bo was part of one of China's political dynasties, the son of Bo Yibo, a Red Army commander who was purged from his post during the Cultural Revolution.

He later clawed his way back into power, eventually becoming one of the "Eight Elders" of the Party.

His only son with Gu, Bo Guagua, 25, recently completed post-graduate studies at Harvard.

As party chief in Chongqing, a major city in southwest China, he led a vicious crackdown on organised crime which won him praise but made him enemies, and drew allegations of mistreatment of suspects.

He also began a "red culture movemnt", promoting the glory days of Chairman Mao, evoking nostalgia among China's remaining Marxists, but with many reformed likening the campaign to being "drowned in a red sea"

He was loved by the poor of the city, for whom he built housing and invested in social projects, but the city and party elite began to view him as ambitious and suspicious.