Opinion | Gu's case reveals corruption of power
Hu Shuli says the police cover-up of her crime only fed her sense of impunity, which a socialist country under the rule of law must not tolerate
A review of Xinhua's accounts this month of the Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun murder trial and Monday's sentencing revealed a trove of important information. The details included the criminal charges, the type of evidence brought forward, expert opinion and a story on the circumstances surrounding the death of British businessman Neil Heywood.
When the investigation into Heywood's death was first announced on April 10 by Xinhua, the official report said, "China is a socialist country run by the rule of law. The dignity and power of law shall not be trampled on."
After reading the report of the court proceedings, people realised that the use of the word "trampled" was pretty accurate.
Just think, from the moment Gu planned the murder up until the time when Chongqing police were able to cover up the crime, she never panicked because she believed she would enjoy total impunity for the crime. If it hadn't been for Wang Lijun's visit to the US consulate, there would not have been any public information about it or any justice for the dead. The criminal would still be at large, her reputation as a high-powered lawyer and spouse of a senior official untarnished.
Gu would have been aware of the gravity of her offence. According to official reports, during the 2010 National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Bo Xilai praised his wife as "one of China's first generation of lawyers". He went on to say that she was "not only well-versed in legal matters, but possessed a wealth of knowledge about cultures around the world. Her knowledge, especially her legal background, was very helpful in the efforts to crack down on organised crime."
She certainly would have been aware of the serious consequences of taking someone's life, let alone a foreigner's, for which there would be international ramifications. Her brazen sense of immunity from the law was supported by a network of high-level officials in the Chongqing branch of the Ministry of Public Security.
When Heywood was found dead in the hotel, Wang, then vice-mayor and head of the Chongqing police, appointed his deputy in the public security bureau, Guo Weiguo , to handle the case. Guo was close to the Bo family, according to the Xinhua report. When Guo and his colleagues found out that Gu was the leading suspect, they chose not to pursue the case, but to cover up for her - faking testimony, hiding evidence, persuading Heywood's family to accept the conclusion that he died of an alcohol-triggered heart attack, and cremating the body without an autopsy.