A Chinese court on Friday rejected the appeal of disgraced politician Bo Xilai and upheld his life sentence for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power in the country’s biggest political scandal that shook the ruling Communist Party.
“This court verified the facts and evidence of the court of first instance,” Shandong high court spokesman Hou Jianjun said.
“The reasons for appeal presented by Bo Xilai and the opinions of his counsel did not have factual and legal basis, and were not tenable.”
The court “ruled to reject the appeal, and uphold the original judgement”, Hou told reporters in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.
“The above ruling is the final judgement,” he said, effectively sealing the fate of Bo, once a rising star in China’s leadership.