A Xinhua report that made an unusual reference to the wife of Chongqing's embattled former party chief as Bo-Gu Kailai is fuelling further speculation about the couple.
The reference in the report on Tuesday, which linked the former lawyer to the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, is presumably based on her name in her official identity documents.
That is stirring rumours that Bo's wife secretly obtained a second citizenship - a legal violation if she remains a Chinese national.
The addition of her husband's surname to hers is a practice that is no longer common on the mainland. Mrs Bo was typically referred to as Gu Kailai in previous media reports.
Mainland laws clearly forbid dual citizenships. However, many mainlanders have managed to secure a second citizenship while still retaining their Chinese citizenship - as long as their identification cards are not due for renewal.
But even if Gu has renounced her Chinese citizenship, she could still face legal sanctions due to increasingly tight regulations on so-called 'naked officials' - high-ranking officials who have secured foreign citizenships for their families, and therefore have a much higher likelihood of moving all their assets abroad.
While mainland laws forbid civil servants and high-ranking cadres from holding foreign passports, the rules governing their spouses and children are less clear-cut.