Bo dismisses his wife’s testimony as ‘ravings of a madwoman’
Print Edition
Fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai described his wife as “insane” yesterday after his corruption trial heard video testimony from her implicating him in bribery.
Bogu Kailai, once a high-flying lawyer but convicted last year of murdering Neil Heywood, the British businessman whose death sparked the corruption scandal that brought Bo down, looked nervous in the pre-recorded video.
She described telling her husband of a series of bribes, but Bo told the court she was mentally unstable and had compared herself to a historical Chinese assassin, telling him she felt “heroic” when killing Heywood.
She had compared herself to Jing Ke, who more than 2,000 years ago tried and failed to kill the man who would become the first emperor of a unified China, Bo said.
The claim was “sufficient to prove that she was mentally disordered,” he added.
In her testimony Bogu said she feared Heywood would kidnap and kill their son Bo Guagua in the United States.
She looked thin and pale during the questioning, recorded on August 10. It was played in court the day after Bo pleaded ignorance to her dealings, and released by the court on Chinese social media, where it had more than 1 million views in an hour.
The video and written testimony by Bogu directly contradicted Bo’s robust defense on Thursday.
“He should know about it all,” Bogu said in the video recording shown in court and posted on the court’s microblog, when asked whether Bo knew that she and their son Bo Guagua had received money from plastics-to-property entrepreneur Xu Ming.
Bo dismissed his wife’s testimony as the ravings of a madwoman.
“Bogu Kailai has changed, she’s insane, often tells lies,” Bo said, according to transcripts on the court microblog. “Under the circumstances of her mental illness, the investigators placed huge pressure on her to expose me.”
“Her testimony as far as I am concerned, was (given) under psychological pressure, and driven by (hope of) a reduced sentence,” he added.
Close to Bo’s family
The businessman Xu, who is also in custody, was once close to the Bo family, but also testified against him on Thursday, according to the court transcripts.
Bo, the 64-year-old former Communist Party chief of Chongqing Municipality, has been charged with illegally taking almost 27 million yuan (US$4.41 million), corruption and abuse of power.
Of that amount, about 21.8 million yuan came from Xu and another businessman Tang Xiaolin, the court said, citing the indictment.
Asked if Bo knew about airline tickets and other items provided by Xu Ming, Gu at first said “he should have been aware.”
Pressed by the questioner, she said: “I told him.”
In a written testimony, Bogu said she had shown Bo the graphics and slideshows for the design of a villa in Nice, France, that was paid for by Xu. Bo asked her about the slideshows and according to Bogu, she told Bo about Xu’s involvement.
“Therefore he knew that I asked Xu Ming to pay for this villa in France,” Bogu said.
In the poorly shot video, Bogu appeared soft-spoken and composed as she was questioned by a worker from the state prosecutor’s office. She laughed when asked whether she had been coerced into giving evidence.
Bogu did not link Bo with Heywood’s murder, but said he was aware she considered the Briton a threat to their son.
Bogu said Bo was also aware of her fears about the safety of Guagua, who is now in the United States preparing for a law degree at Columbia University.
“In 2011, Guagua’s personal safety was threatened and Bo Xilai understood this,” she said in her written testimony.
Bo presented an unexpectedly spirited defense against bribery charges as the trial began on Thursday, comparing one witness, businessman Tang Xiaolin, to a “mad dog” who appeared to have “sold his soul.”
State broadcaster CCTV yesterday released video of one of the trial’s most dramatic moments, when Bo cross-examined Xu Ming.
In a colorful exchange, which touched on a football club, a hot air balloon and the purchase of the French villa, Bo argued that the tycoon had not made him aware of the transactions.
At least five relatives attended the hearing, including Li Wangzhi, Bo’s son from his first marriage. Li released a statement to The New York Times thanking the authorities for allowing Bo to defend himself.
“I thank the Party central authorities and the court for giving the defendant greater rights to a defense and freedom than he had expected, allowing my father to speak his true mind,” said Li, who is in his mid-30s and has reportedly not seen his father for several years.
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