Story highlights
A Chinese high court agrees to hear Bo Xilai's appeal
He was found guilty on all charges and given a life sentence for corruption
During the trial hearings, Bo denied the charges against him
Bo lodged his appeal before a Tuesday deadline, the court says
A Chinese high court has agreed to hear an appeal from convicted former Communist party senior Bo Xilai, according to a statement released by Jinan Intermediate People’s Court.
Bo Xilai was sentenced to life in prison for bribe-taking, as well as 15 years for embezzlement and seven years for abuse of power after he was convicted in September.
China’s Bo Xilai: From rising star to scandal
He filed his appeal before an October 8 deadline. The court reviewed it and accepted, the Shandong Province Supreme People’s Court said.
During the politically sensitive trial, which took place over several days in August, Bo, 64, denied the charges and strongly challenged the prosecution’s case against him, according to accounts published by the Jinan Intermediate People’s Court.
The closely watched trial was considered to be much more transparent than most cases in China.
Timeline: Bo Xilai’s fall from grace
But international and independent journalists weren’t allowed inside the courtroom, and doubts were raised about the fullness of the court’s version of events.
The trial brought to light a wealth of eye-opening details about the apparently lavish and emotionally fraught life of his family and inner circle, giving Chinese people insights into how some of the ruling elite live.
Read more: Bo Xilai anticipated prison in letter to family
Bo’s glittering career, during which he drew both admirers and detractors for his populist policies, fell apart last year.
The son of a revolutionary veteran, Bo rose to power as a city mayor, provincial governor, minister of commerce and member of the Politburo, the powerful policy-making body of the Communist Party. He had been tipped to ascend farther up the party hierarchy.
From Gang of Four to Bo Xilai: Reporting from China’s ‘show trials’
A charismatic and urbane politician, Bo was credited with a spectacular, albeit brutal, crackdown on organized crime during his time as the top party official of Chongqing, a metropolis in southwestern China.
But when his deputy, Wang Lijun, walked into the U.S. Consulate in the city of Chengdu in February 2012 and told American diplomats that Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, was involved in a murder case, Bo’s career began to unravel.
Wang’s move precipitated Bo’s political demise. Soon after news of the events began to emerge, Bo was removed from his party posts.