Gu Kailai
Gu Kailai | |
|---|---|
| 谷开来 | |
| Born | 15 November 1958 (age 65) |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Other names | Horus L. Kai Bo Gu Kailai (薄谷开来) |
| Alma mater | Peking University |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney Businesswoman |
| Spouse | Bo Xilai |
| Children | Bo Guagua |
| Gu Kailai | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 谷开来 | ||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 谷開來 | ||||||
| |||||||
Gu Kailai (born 15 November 1958) is a Chinese lawyer and businesswoman. She is the second wife of former Politburo member Bo Xilai, one of China's most influential politicians until he was stripped of his offices in 2012. In August 2012, Gu was convicted of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood and was given a suspended death sentence.[1][2][3]
Family
Gu is the youngest of five daughters of General Gu Jingsheng, a prominent revolutionary in the years before the Chinese Communist Party took power.[4] General Gu held various government positions during early Communist rule but was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution. Gu Kailai herself was also punished, being forced to work in a butcher's and a textile factory.
Gu met Bo Xilai in 1984 while on a field trip looking into environmental art in Jin County, Liaoning, where he was the Communist Party secretary. The couple have one son, Bo Guagua, who studied at Harrow School, Balliol College, Oxford, and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.[5]
Career
Gu Kailai gained a degree in law and then a masters in international politics from Peking University.[6] She went on to become an accomplished lawyer founding the Kailai law firm in Beijing.[7] In the course of her career, she was involved in several high-profile cases, and is suggested to have been the first Chinese lawyer to win a civil suit in the United States, where she represented several Dalian-area companies involved in a dispute in Mobile, Alabama.[8] She is also the author of several books.
Murder investigation
In March 2012, Gu became embroiled in a national scandal after her husband's deputy, Wang Lijun, apparently sought refuge at the U.S. consulate in Chengdu. It was rumored that Wang presented evidence of a corruption scandal, whereby Bo sought to impede a corruption investigation against Gu.[9] Specifically, Wang stated that Gu had been involved in a business dispute with British businessman Neil Heywood, who died in Chongqing under disputed circumstances; Wang alleged he had been poisoned. The Wall Street Journal reported that Wang may have fallen out of favor with Bo for discussing the Heywood case.[8][10]
Following the Wang Lijun incident and Bo's removal from key Communist Party posts, Gu was placed under investigation for homicide in Heywood's death.[11] On 10 April 2012, Gu was detained and "transferred to the judicial authorities" as part of the investigation.[12] In an unusual move, state media appended her husband's surname in front of her own (rendering her name as Bo Gu Kailai), extremely unusual for married women in PRC, without any explanation. Some speculate that it may imply that Gu may have acquired citizenship of a foreign country, and as a result "Bo Gu Kailai" appeared on her official documents;[13] Others suggest that this is because authorities wanted to emphasize that Gu's alleged crimes were linked to misconduct by her husband.[14][dead link]
On 26 July 2012, Gu Kailai was formally charged with murdering Heywood, based on what the prosecutor claimed was "irrefutable and substantial" evidence.[15][16][17] On 9 August 2012, according to the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua, Gu admitted during a one-day trial that she was responsible for Haywood's murder. She claimed that her actions were due to a "mental breakdown", and stated that she would "accept and calmly face any sentence".[18]
Verdict
On 20 August 2012, Gu Kailai received a suspended death sentence, which is normally commuted to a life sentence after two years, but she could be released on medical parole after serving nine years in prison.[19] The trial lasted one day, and Gu did not contest her charges. Zhang Xiaojun, a Bo family aide, was sentenced to nine years in jail for his involvement in the murder,[1] which he admitted to.[2]
Following the verdict, the United Kingdom announced that it welcomed the investigation, and said that they "consistently made clear to the Chinese authorities that we wanted to see the trials in this case conform to international human rights standards and for the death penalty not to be applied."[1][3] BBC News commented that "informed observers see the fingerprints of the Communist Party of China all over this outcome", stating that the trial's conclusion was "all too neat and uncannily suited to one particular agenda", that of limiting the scandal's damage.[20]
References
- ^ a b c "Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai jailed over Heywood murder". BBC. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Chinese politician's wife convicted of murder". Al Jazeera. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ a b Ruwitch, John (20 August 2012). "China's Gu Kailai gets suspended death sentence". Reuters. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ Bloomberg News (13 April 2012). "China Murder Suspect’s Sisters Ran $126 Million Empire". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 20 April 2012
- ^ Jeremy Page,"Children of the Revolution", The Wall Street Journal. 26 November 2011.
- ^ China's 'Jackie Kennedy' under scrutiny, BBC News, 11 April 2012.
- ^ Wife of sacked Chongqing boss a woman of many talents, Want China Times, 19 March 2012.
- ^ a b Jeremy Page, U.K. Seeks Probe Into China Death, Wall Street Journal, 26 March 2012.
- ^ John Garnaut, 'Bo intrigue deepens over death of Briton', Sydney Morning Herald, 26 March 2012.
- ^ Jeremy Page, Brian Spegele, and Steve Eder, 'Jackie Kennedy of China' at Center of Political Drama, Wall Street Journal, 6 April 2012.
- ^ Chris Buckley and Benjamin Kang Lim, China says Bo Xilai's wife suspected of murder China suspends Bo from elite ranks, wife suspected of murder, Reuters, 10 April 2012.
- ^ Michael Bristow. "Bo Xilai's wife suspected over 'murder' of Briton". BBC News. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ Sharon LaFraniere (11 April 2012). "Surname of Ex-Official's Wife Adds New Twist to Mystery". New York Times.
- ^ Ho, Stephanie (11 April 2012). "Bo Xilai Scandal Dominates Chinese Media". Voice of America. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ . 26 July 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/26/gu-kailai-charged-murder-china.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|Title=ignored (|title=suggested) (help) - ^ "Bo Xilai's wife prosecuted for intentional homicide: Xinhua". Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ^ Bogu Kailai, Zhang Xiaojun charged with intentional homicide, Xinhua, 26 July 2012.
- ^ "Bo Xilai scandal: Gu Kailai 'admits Neil Heywood murder'". BBC. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
- ^ Jeremy Page (20 August 2012). "China's Gu May Spend Only 9 Years in Prison". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
- ^ John Sudworth (20 August 2012). "Bo Xilai casts long shadow over Gu Kailai case". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.