CNN (USA), BBC NEWS, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (UK)
BEIJING – Gu Kailai, the wife of recently deposed top official in the Chinese Communist Party Bo Xilai, raised no objections to the prosecution’s charges as the trial ended on Thursday, reports BBC news.
A court official told reporters Gu did not contest the charges. The date of the verdict will be announced later, the official said.
Gu Kailai is accused of poisoning British expat Neil Heywood in 2011 in Chongqing, where her husband Bo Xilai was head of the Communist party and a very popular figure.
At the time, the death was recorded as a heart attack. But four months later Bo’s right-hand man, police chief Wang Lijun, fled to a U.S. consulate, where he alleged murder and a massive cover-up, reports CNN.
Heywood is said to have been a business associate and a close friend to the Bo family. Gu’s husband was destined to join the elite committee of leaders at the top of China’s ruling part, reports BBC News. He was sacked in March and is currently under investigation for unspecified “disciplinary violations.”
The defendants haven’t seen their relatives since they were arrested in early April, reports CNN. Bo Gagua, 24, a Harvard University graduate, said he submitted a witness statement to the defense team for his mother in an email on Tuesday.
According to the Daily Telegraph, security was tight around the courthouse and international media were not allowed into the court.
The two defendants face a possible death penalty if found guilty.
