The former Chongqing police chief whose flight to a US consulate in February triggered China's worst political crisis in more than 20 years will be tried for treason as early as next month, according to sources who have been briefed on the case.
A special legal team has already been set up for the trial of Wang Lijun, who is at the centre of the political storm which brought down his former boss and one-time Communist Party high-flyer, Bo Xilai.
The trial will take place in Sichuan province's capital, Chengdu, home to the US consulate where Wang fled. It remains unknown whether the trial will be open to the press or the public, the sources said. Wang could face the death penalty.
If the trial goes ahead as reported, it will serve as a good indication that the outcome of two other connected cases, those of Bo and of his wife Gu Kailai, a murder suspect in the mysterious death of a British businessman, will also be known shortly.
Analysts say the central leadership intends to wrap up the political scandal before an important party congress slated for later this year, as Bo's downfall has given rise to endless speculation on a split in the top echelon of the Communist Party.
The 18th Communist Party Congress, which will see a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, was even rumoured to have been postponed until next year because the top leaders could not agree on how to deal with the Chongqing scandal.
The multi-layered scandal is being dealt with by three party or state organisations. The Ministry of State Security has been on Wang's case since early February. Bo, the former Chongqing party chief and Politburo member, is being investigated by the party's top disciplinary agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). And the Public Security authorities are looking into the alleged murder of British citizen Neil Heywood in which Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, is a prime suspect.