Gu Kailai Sentenced

Gu Kailai (named Bogu Kailai in Xinhua reports for undisclosed reasons), wife of former Chongqing Party secretary Bo Xilai, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

The verdict was passed on August 20 by the Intermediate People’s Court of Hefei, capital city of eastern Anhui Province, far from Bo Xilai’s base of power. More than 100 people were in attendance, including family members and friends of the defendants, diplomats from the British embassy and consulates in China, journalists from various State media, deputies from the People’s Congress, (China’s legislature) and members of the People’s Consultative Conference (China’s political advisory body).

Legal representatives of Heywood’s family were also present but foreign journalists were not permitted to attend.

During the proceeding, which was later televised, Gu Kailai confessed to the murder charge against her, claiming that her crime was perpetrated out of fear for the safety of her son, Bo Guagua. According to Gu, Heywood had“threatened” her son in e-mails after a “conflict” between Bo Guagua and Heywood over a property deal.

According to Gu’s testimony, on November 13, 2011, she invited Heywood to a vacation resort in Chongqing, joining him in room 1605, with an “orderly” named Zhang Xiaojun, also standing trial, in attendance. Gu recounted how she and Heywood had drunk liquor together until the British man became severely intoxicated, “slipping and falling” in the suite’s bathroom. Gu called Zhang to help her get Heywood into bed, whereupon, according to her confession, she force-fed him cyanide.

Zhang Xiaojun was sentenced to nine years in prison as an accessory to murder. Neither defendant will appeal. Gu pleaded guilty and described the verdict as “just.”

The judge decreed that Gu, though capable to assume full criminal responsibility for her actions, had suffered from a “mental disorder”which weakened her self-control. In recognition of her cooperation with the investigation, Gu was granted leniency.

The court also sentenced four Chongqing police chiefs to five to 11 year prison terms for covering up Heywood’s murder by “counterfeiting, concealing and destroying evidence.”The Chongqing police had initially concluded that Heywood’s death had been due to alcohol poisoning. Heywood’s body was hastily cremated a few days after he died.

Allegations of foul play surfaced when Wang Lijun, Chongqing’s former police chief, entered the US consulate general in Chengdu, a city close to Chongqing, “without authorization” on February 6, 2012, four days after he was removed from his post as Chongqing’s police head amid rumors of corruption. On March 15, Wang was removed from his post as Chongqing’s vice-mayor.

That same day, Bo Xilai, Wang’s former mentor and Gu Kailai’s husband, was removed from his post as the city’s Party secretary. An inquest was launched into Heywood’s death, and it was announced that he had, in fact, been murdered, with Bo’s wife named as the prime suspect.

With Gu having escaped the death penalty, focus has returned to Bo Xilai and Wang Lijun, both of whom the Party has stated are“under investigation,” though their precise fate and whereabouts remain a mystery. Officials have declined to comment on what charges, if any, the two might face, and the lengthy Xinhua summary of Gu’s trial made no mention of her high-profile husband.

According to one report by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, Wang Lijun is expected to face charges of treason in a Chengdu court, though city officials denied any knowledge of such plans.

CNOOC Postpones Nexen Purchase

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), China’s biggest offshore oil producer, announced August 12 its intention to postpone confirming details of its purchase of Canadian upstream oil giant Nexen to its shareholders.

Notification was scheduled to be given on August 13, 15 days after CNOOC announced its plan to purchase all of Nexen’s circulating ordinary shares for US$15.1 billion.

Analysts believe the main reason behind the postponement is opposition from the US, which insisted that CNOOC should not exploit Nexen oilfields located on US soil without paying additional fees to the US government.

Insider trading is believed to be another cause. The US Securities and Exchange Commission exposed that Zhang Zhirong, founder of Rongsheng Heavy Industry, a business partner of CNOOC, allegedly made a US$7.2 million profit from the purchase.

Yet, according to the media, CNOOC is confident it will receive final approval from the US and Canadian governments by the end of this year. It is estimated that the purchase, if successful, will increase CNOOC’s annual output by 20 percent.