Bo Guagua not harmed by mother Gu Kailai's murder trial, say analysts
Analysts say Bo Guagua is unscathed - due in part to likely extra-judicial deal-making
Bo Guagua , who was at the centre of the political scandal that brought down his father, former Politburo member Bo Xilai , has emerged unscathed from the murder trial of his mother, Gu Kailai .
Analysts said Gu may have used the politically charged trial - which ended with her being given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood last year - to exonerate her only child.
They also said the trial, widely labelled a show trial, and the guilty verdict, which Gu chose not to appeal, appeared to be part of a behind-the-scenes deal to ensure Bo Guagua's well-being.
The 24-year-old was involved in a family financial dispute with Heywood, which Xinhua said triggered the ensuing scandal and the worst leadership crisis to hit China in decades.
Gu, a former lawyer, confessed to the murder of Heywood during a seven-hour trial on August 9 but claimed she was forced to kill the Briton because her son's life was threatened.
Bo Guagua, believed to be in the US after recently graduating from Harvard, did not show up at the trial as a witness. Instead, he submitted written testimony - reportedly not accepted by the court - in defence of his mother.