Wang Lijun charged in Bo Xilai scandal, says China state news
Wang Lijun, Chief of Chongqing Public Security Bureau, attends a March 6, 2011 meeting during the annual National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.
The man who was the source of information that mired senior Chinese leader Bo Xilai in scandal earlier this year has now been charged in connection with the case, The New York Times reported.
Wang Lijun, a police chief and vice mayor of Chongqing who worked under Bo, sought refuge in a US consulate in February to divulge some explosive news: Lijun had evidence that Bo Xilai's wife was behind the murder of Neil Heywood, a British businessman, the Wall Street Journal wrote. The Journal called the scandal the worst China's political establishment has seen in a generation.
Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of the murder in August, GlobalPost reported. She was given a suspended death sentence, which typically becomes a life sentence after two years.
More from GlobalPost: Gu Kailai, wife of fallen party boss Bo Xilai, given suspended death sentence for Neil Heywood murder
Xinhua, China's state news agency, reported that Wang has been charged by the Chengdu City People's Procuratorate with "bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking." To date, Bo Xilai has not been charged in connection with the case.
The report by Xinhua came out as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in China for talks with leaders there. The Washington Post reported that, after the story broke, Clinton departed for the airport early.
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