A Bad Week for ... , July 14, 2013

Lisa Kuo Yu-chin

The wife of former chief executive candidate Henry Tang Ying-yen took responsibility for the vast unauthorised basement under which her husband's political career was buried. Kuo pleaded guilty to starting the building work without permission, though she denied a second charge of doing so "knowingly", which may now be withdrawn. Three other defendants in the case face trial in November.

Liu Zhijun

Once the all-powerful head of the railways ministry, Liu Zhijun is looking at a lengthy stretch in prison after being given a suspended death sentence for graft. The death sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment in two years and he may end up serving as little as 13 years in jail, though some commentators expect to see him out sooner.

Rupert Murdoch

The veteran media tycoon faces yet more questions from British lawmakers over phone hacking activities and illegal payments to police officers at his British newspapers. Lawmakers in London plan to grill Murdoch again after reports emerged of a private meeting with staff at The Sun in which he decried the police investigation into practices he said had been going on for decades.