Bo Xilai tells corruption trial ‘he made mistakes’

Bo denies embezzling the money, intended for a local government construction project, but said: “I feel I should take some responsibility” for the money ending up in his wife Gu Kailai’s bank account and for failing to investigate.

“I feel ashamed. I was too careless, because these are state funds,” he said according to transcripts that the Intermediate People’s Court in Jinan, eastern China, is providing on its account on Sina Weibo, a Twitter equivalent.

The courtroom scenes come after a lurid scandal triggered by the death of British businessman Neil Heywood – for which Bo’s wife Gu was convicted of murder – that rocked the ruling Communist party.

Until the admission Bo’s performance had been defiant, denying charges of bribe-taking and embezzlement totalling 26.8 million yuan ($4.4 million).

Denies abuse of power

He also denies accusations of abuse of power in connection with the investigation into Heywood’s death, and pictures showed him staring at Wang Lijun, his police chief and right-hand man in Chongqing, the megacity he headed, as Wang testified in court against him.

Bo admitted making mistakes in handling the investigation into Heywood’s killing, slapping Wang and sacking him as police chief after he told him Gu was responsible.

Days later Wang fled to a US consulate to seek asylum, blowing the scandal wide open, and Bo said his errors had “tarnished the reputation of the party and the country”.

“I failed to handle this incident at a critical point in a calm way and I made a serious misjudgement,” he said. “I feel ashamed for this.

“I never meant to… protect Gu. I didn’t mean to force Wang Lijun away.”

Attack on key witness

The court transcripts are regular but delayed, and no live audio or video is available, nor are any foreign media or independent observers present in the room.

Earlier, Bo launched a scathing attack on a key witness, saying even the most stupid official knew not to discuss bribery where they could be overheard.

Wang Zhenggang, a former planning official in Dalian, where Bo was the mayor in the 1990s, told the court the politician had telephoned Gu in front of him in connection with the five million yuan.

The claim did not make sense, he said. “It is not even what the most stupid corruption offender would do. Corrupt offenders with even the lowest IQ would ask who else in Dalian was aware of the money.”

The scandal erupted in advance of a generational shift of power atop the factionalised Communist Party, and Bo’s generally feisty performance during his trial has astonished a public unfamiliar with the open airing of top-level intrigue.

Details of trial stun Chinese public

The hearings are in stark contrast to previous Chinese political trials in which most defendants have humbly confessed their crimes amid opaque court proceedings.

Revelations of private jet flights, luxury villas and rare animal meats have held Chinese internet users spellbound, while Bo has showed open disdain for prosecution witnesses, including Gu, whom he derided as “insane”.

He confessed to having had extramarital affairs and said Gu moved to Britain because she was angry with him, the court transcripts showed.

The trial was widely expected to last only two days but will move into a fourth day on Sunday, although analysts still believe a guilty verdict and long prison sentence for Bo were agreed beforehand.