Family of Neil Heywood seeks payout over his death
Neil Heywood's wife pushing for compensation from his killer, Bo Xilai's wife, lawyer says
The family of a British citizen murdered on the mainland is seeking compensation of up to 50 million yuan from his convicted killer, the wife of former top leader Bo Xilai, a lawyer with knowledge of the talks said yesterday.
Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was sentenced last year to life in jail for the poisoning of British businessman Neil Heywood in a case that also led to a corruption probe into Bo, once a candidate for the top leadership team.
The talks started last year, but have not reached any agreement yet that I know of. Gu Kailai has no money herself
It is customary for murderers to be ordered to pay court-sanctioned compensation to their victims' families. The source said Heywood's Chinese widow, Lulu, had been pushing for compensation from Gu for herself and their two young children. Lulu and the children are believed to still be living in Beijing.
Bo was sacked as Communist Party chief of Chongqing last year when his wife was named as an official suspect in the November 2011 murder of Heywood, a long-time friend of the couple who also helped their son, Bo Guagua, settle into his studies in Britain.
Bo Xilai is now awaiting trial on charges of corruption, taking bribes and of abuse of power.
Li Xiaolin, a lawyer who has represented Gu's family in the past, said Heywood's family was seeking between 30 million and 50 million yuan (HK$62.85 million) in compensation.