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| Chinese court rejects Bo Xilai appeal and upholds life sentence | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A Chinese court has rejected the appeal of former politician Bo Xilai and upheld his life sentence for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. | |
| The former Chongqing Communist Party leader was convicted of the charges in September. | |
| He was removed from office in 2012 amid a scandal which saw his wife convicted of a British businessman's murder. | He was removed from office in 2012 amid a scandal which saw his wife convicted of a British businessman's murder. |
| The high court in Shandong, the province where Bo's trial was held, accepted his appeal earlier this month. | The high court in Shandong, the province where Bo's trial was held, accepted his appeal earlier this month. |
| It announced its decision in a brief hearing on Friday morning, as reported by state media. | |
| Shake-up | Shake-up |
| Bo Xilai, the charismatic former Communist Party chief in the city of Chongqing in south-western China, was a member of the powerful politburo - one of the 25 most senior party officials in the country. | Bo Xilai, the charismatic former Communist Party chief in the city of Chongqing in south-western China, was a member of the powerful politburo - one of the 25 most senior party officials in the country. |
| He had been seen as a candidate for the very top, until his fall from grace. It was the biggest political shake-up to hit China's ruling elite in decades. | He had been seen as a candidate for the very top, until his fall from grace. It was the biggest political shake-up to hit China's ruling elite in decades. |
| Bo was removed from office last year amid a scandal which began when his deputy, Wang Lijun, sought refuge in the US consulate in Chengdu. | Bo was removed from office last year amid a scandal which began when his deputy, Wang Lijun, sought refuge in the US consulate in Chengdu. |
| The incident prompted an investigation into the death of British businessman Neil Heywood. | The incident prompted an investigation into the death of British businessman Neil Heywood. |
| Bo Xilai's wife, Gu Kailai, was eventually convicted of Mr Heywood's murder - a crime caused, the court said, by a financial dispute. | Bo Xilai's wife, Gu Kailai, was eventually convicted of Mr Heywood's murder - a crime caused, the court said, by a financial dispute. |
| Wang was also jailed for 15 years for helping Gu cover up the murder. | Wang was also jailed for 15 years for helping Gu cover up the murder. |
| Bo himself was found guilty of taking bribes amounting to 20m yuan ($3.3m, £2m) either personally or through his family. He was also accused of abusing his office by using his position to cover up for his wife's crime. | Bo himself was found guilty of taking bribes amounting to 20m yuan ($3.3m, £2m) either personally or through his family. He was also accused of abusing his office by using his position to cover up for his wife's crime. |
| Correspondents said few expected Bo's conviction to be overturned. The courts are controlled by the ruling Communist Party, from which Bo was expelled from last year. | |
| Bo's supporters, however, believe he is the victim of a political purge. |