As was expected, Gu Kailai was spared
the death penalty. Her accomplice Zhang Xiaojun was sentenced to only nine
years of imprisonment. This demonstrates the authorities’ intention to
trivialize the case, and to separate Gu from her husband Bo Xilai so as to
minimize whatever political impacts. Before the passing of judgment, rumours
were spreading like wild fire. Some claim Gu transferred US$8 billion overseas.
Some claimed Bo planted eavesdropping device on central government officials,
and was training military in Chongqing for ambitious purpose. There were so may
rumours, creating an image of notorious and greediness for Bo’s family.
Trivializing matter as the best
option
Unexpectedly,
the case that the authorities brought to light is Gu and Heywood is an
unrealized property case that had unresolved financial differences. There was
no mention of the original money laundering case. This is a first step to
isolate corruption charges against Bo. If Gu’s case involved money laundering,
then questions will surely arise as to where the money originated and whereto
is it going. This will directly impose question on Bo’s influence to accumulate
riches and be involved in corruption practice. This will also then prolong the
investigation of the case. More importantly, as a high ranking offer like Bo,
if he is involved in channeling money out of China, this will inevitable lower
the confidence of people in these top officials.
In order to mitigate political losses, the authorities labelled
Gu’s case as one of an unresolved political conflict. This isolates all links
to corruption and money laundering. This is crucial to trivializing the whole
matter miraculously. It also explains why Gu was able to plead guilty quickly
in court. At the same time, the court determined Heywoods initiated the
threats, and provided the relevant evidence to support such determination. This
provided justification for Gu to kill in order to protect her son.
Heywoods case is the most challenging and complex political
problem for the fourth generation CCP leaders. If not handled properly, there
would be no legal justification. The forum discussion would also not be
pacified. As a result of Wang Lijun’s escaping to the US embassy, political
pressures from US and UK were plentiful. However if a thorough investigation
was launched, the CCP’s image would surely be tarnished. People’s emotions
would also be severely rocked. Hence, trivializing matter is the obvious best
option.
Gu’s case is determined and judgment passed. Next, would
be Wang Lijun. Wang used to be a hero amongst the police circle. Today, he is
labelled a betrayal of the nation. What is worth pondering: Wang knew all along
about Gu’s plan to kill. After Gu’s killing, Wang even privately made private
recordings. While handling the scene of Heywood’s death, he was directing some
close aides to create an impression that Heywoods committed suicide. On the
other hand, he also instigated his aides to obtain Heywood’s blood as evidence
for future allegations against Gu for murdering.
If Wang was truly righteous, he would have reported
the incident when he first got hold of evidence. Why did he wait for more than two
months before escaping to US embassy? What caused Wang to eventually betray his
master to protect himself? Gu accused Wang in court that Wang was malicious. What
does this mean? These are keys to unveiling the truth behind Chongqing’s sudden
political changes.Wong Teck Yenn