The stature of the policemen who entered court with Bo Xilai became the subject of fevered online speculation |
Few political trials can boast the intoxicating
mix of sex, murder and exotic meat.
But that's exactly what the case of former
political kingpin Bo Xilai offered observers in China, many of whom -- more
than half a million -- followed proceedings on social media courtesy of court
officials in the eastern city of Jinan.
It's not clear how closely the transcripts --
posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter -- matched what happened in the
courtroom, but the dramatic and often surreal detail that did emerge made for
fascinating reading.
Here are five of the highlights:
1. Bo feared a woman scorned
Bo told the court he is the target of bitter
payback by his wife, Gu Kailai, who
is angry over an affair he had and is trying to implicate him in her shady
business deals so she can avoid the death penalty.
"I feel affectionate about Gu. She's a
fragile woman, and she would be convicted to death if she's found involved in
economic crimes. Blaming it on someone else could be an easy way out," he
said. Ouch.
Gu is currently serving a suspended death
sentence for murdering British businessman Neil Heywood by drugging him and pouring
rat poison down his throat in a hotel
room in November 2011.
2. The younger Bo likes Segways
For people who consider walking over-rated,
these two-wheeled electronic bikes are a popular way to zoom around.
According to Gu, her son wanted one so she
advised him to speak to wealthy businessman Xu Ming, the chairman of
conglomerate the Dalian Shide Group at the time. "Ask Xu to pay for
it," Gu said, according to her own testimony. "He hasn't given you a
gift for a while. Just say this is a gift that your mum can enjoy as
well."
She mentioned that her husband, who is accused
of taking bribes, knew about the gift and even tried it himself -- a claim he
refuted.
"I have never had any idea of who bought
the scooter. No one ever spoke to me about it."
But when the prosecutor showed Bo the scooter's
picture and asked if he'd ever seen it before, he replied: "Yes, I've seen
it. But I had many things to worry about. How could I care about such a
toy?"
3. Bo likes to fly ...
The Segway was not the only mode of transport
laid on by Xu, according to testimony from family aide Zhang Xiaojun. It got
far more extravagant.
Zhang -- who is also serving time for Heywood's
murder -- said he booked numerous flights for the younger Bo to and from China,
the United Kingdom and the United States, where Bo was studying. The younger Bo
also went to Germany in 2006 to watch the World Cup, as well as Venice,
Argentina, Cuba, Paris and Africa.
Not content with solo trips, Zhang said he also
booked flights to China and hotel
rooms for 40 of Bo's friends from Harvard University around
mid-March 2011. Zhang said he phoned Xu's secretary to ask him to cover the
cost of hotels in Beijing and internal flights in China. The prosecution said
the cost of the trip -- over 3.2 million renminbi ($524,000) -- was expensed to
the company account.
4. Bo was not familiar with biltong
The South African snack might not be to
everyone's taste but there are certain rules and one is that it shouldn't be
cooked.
During Friday's proceedings, Gu told the
court via video that their son, Bo Guagua, bought his father some meat as a
present from Africa. "It was a large chunk of meat, of a rare species. I
couldn't remember what animal it came from," Gu said.
Gu revealed that her son got very upset
when his father insisted on steaming it.
The snapshot of mealtime at the Bo's house
set off a flurry of online speculation as to what the mysterious meat could be.
After many netizens settled on biltong -- a type of cured meat including beef
and game -- enterprising vendors listed the meat for sale online as
"Guagua's choice." By Sunday, the ads had been pulled.
5. Some Chinese policeman are tall
Before some of the more intriguing details
of trial emerged, the stature of the policemen guarding Bo became a subject of
fevered online speculation.
Where on earth did Chinese officials find
officers tall enough to tower over Bo, who himself stands over six foot?
That mystery remains unsolved.
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