Bo's trial ends, verdict to be announced later (2)

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Bo's trial ends, verdict to be announced later (2)

(Xinhua) 21:14, August 26, 2013

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PROCEEDING DETAILS

Bo's trial began on Thursday.

According to the indictment read by prosecutor Yang Zengsheng, Bo faces charges of bribe taking, embezzlement and abuse of power. The defendant gave a statement on the facts regarding his alleged offenses. Prosecutors and defense lawyers questioned the accused respectively.

The court investigation focused on Bo's three charges.

During the trial, key witnesses Xu Ming, chairman of Dalian Shide Group Co. Ltd., Wang Zhenggang, then director of the Dalian municipal bureau of urban and rural planning and land, and Wang Lijun, former vice mayor of Chongqing, appeared to testify in court.

Prosecutors, the defendant and his lawyers cross-examined the witnesses.

Prosecutors also read testimonies by other witnesses including Zhang Xiaojun and Patrick Devillers, a French national, played video recordings from Bo's wife Bogu Kailai and Tang Xiaolin, general manager of Dalian International Development Co. Ltd., as well as a slideshow of a villa involved in the case.

In addition, prosecutors presented evidence including documents and photographs of material evidence, and confessions and the handwritten confessions of the defendant.

The prosecutors also presented evidence on how Bo's case was exposed and investigated and that he did not turn himself in, confess his crimes or inform against others.

During the trial, the defendant and its lawyers questioned the witnesses and expressed their views on relevant evidence.

Facing key facts of the charges, Bo frequently defended himself by saying the evidence was "irrelevant" or he had only a vague impression.

Bo did not acknowledge the accusations, but he failed to offer evidence to refute the facts regarding his charges during his defense.

The defense lawyers also questioned the authenticity and legality of witness testimony.

In response, prosecutors said the evidence presented in court was authentic and taken legally from clear sources and the evidence of the entire case was enough to identify the defendant's conducts as crime.