Bo to face 'public' trial, but not before March, mainland paper says
Mainland newspaper reports former Chongqing chief will be tried in open court for up to 10 days
Disgraced Chongqing Communist Party boss Bo Xilai will be tried in "public" for up to 10 days, but the trial will not take place before March, says the Global Times, quoting a source close to the Supreme People's Court.
The date and location of the trial would be announced in advance, the paper, an offshoot of the official People's Daily, reported yesterday.
Mainland law stipulates that all court cases, save those considered secret, must be publicised a few days before their trial.
Early yesterday, dozens of mainland and foreign journalists flocked to the People's Intermediate Court in Guiyang. Their visit follows last Thursday's online report by Ta Kung Pao, a Beijing-loyalist newspaper based in Hong Kong, that Bo would stand trial in Guizhou's provincial capital.
Jiang Hao , a vice-president of the court in Guiyang, told reporters the court had not received any information suggesting Bo would be tried in Guiyang. He promised to inform the media in the event that the case would be heard in the city.
"I'm perplexed too," Jiang said. "As the executive deputy head of the courthouse, how come I'm in the dark with regard to the news?"
A Beijing-based source close to the investigation of Bo's case said: "All evidence pointing to the crimes Bo committed is already well in place. He will definitely be subject to harsh punishment, although he keeps refusing to admit his mistakes at this stage.