Murder Charge Over Brit Heywood's China Death

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The wife of one of China's most prominent politicians has been charged with the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.


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Neil Heywood was found dead in November 2011


The wife of one of China's most prominent politicians has been charged with the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

State news agency Xinhua has reported that Gu Kailai, who is married to Bo Xilai, will face a charge of intentional homicide.

It said a recently issued indictment said Gu had a falling out with Mr Heywood over a "conflict of economic interests" and worried that it would threaten her and their son Bo Guagua's safety.

The report says Gu and aide Zhang Xiaojun are alleged to have jointly poisoned Mr Heywood - who was found dead in his Chongqing hotel room in November.

"The criminal facts for the two defendants are clear, the evidence is real and enough (to) be charged with murder, according to the law," the report read.

Bo Xilai was sacked as Communist Party Chief in Chongqing in March before being ousted as a member of the 25-member Politburo, Chinese politics' most powerful decision-making body.

His departure and the subsequent investigation into his family are widely seen as the messiest political scandal the normally secretive Chinese leadership has faced in decades.


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Bo Guagua receiving his masters degree at Harvard University in May


A Foreign Office source in China told Sky News: "We cannot confirm the details of the on-going investigation, which is a matter for the Chinese authoriites.

"However we are glad to see Chinese authorities are investigating the death of Neil Heywood and we are seeking justice for his family."

Mr Heywood was poisoned after he threatened to expose a plan by a Chinese leader's wife to move money abroad, two sources with knowledge of the police investigation have previously told Reuters news agency.

The announcement comes months before the ruling Communist Party unveils a new top leadership.

Gu has been in police custody for months on suspicion of committing or arranging Mr Heywood's murder, though no details of the motive or the crime itself had not been publicly released, other than a general comment from Chinese state media that he was killed after a financial dispute.

Mr Bo, 62, was widely seen as pushing for a spot in that new leadership until felled by the scandal brought to light by his former police chief, Wang Lijun.

He is under investigation for violating party discipline and could later face investigation for criminal charges.

The removal of Mr Bo has triggered rifts and uncertainty, disrupting the Communist Party's usually secretive and carefully choreographed process of settling on a new central leadership in the run up to its 18th congress.

Left-wing supporters of the charismatic Mr Bo have defended him as the instigator of a much-needed new path for China, and many of them see him as the blameless victim of a plot.


Source: Sky News
 
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