China sends ex-police chief to jail for 15 years

A Chinese court has sentenced to 15 years in prison the ex-police chief who set off a political scandal and brought down top politician Bo Xilai.

The official Xinhua news agency says Wang Lijun was guilty of defection, abuse of power, bribe-taking and bending the law for selfish ends.

Xinhua reported that Wang did not object to the charges during the tightly orchestrated two-day trial, which was closed to foreign media.

During his term in Chongqing Wang had also committed other offences, including illegally releasing four suspects in return for property and money totalling more than 3m yuan (US$476,000), Xinhua said.

Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence for the crime. At a separate trial on 10 August, four senior police officers from Chongqing admitted covering up evidence linking her to the murder and were jailed for between five and 11 years.

After his alleged defection attempt failed, Wang was said to have re-opened the investigation into Heywood’s death and cooperated with authorities. Because of this, prosecutors suggested that he receive a more lenient sentence.

But the account of the trial also shed possible light on the fate of Bo, who was considered a rising star in Chinese politics. Although the report did not specifically mention Bo’s name, it suggested that the local Communist Party’s