Before China's transfer of power, a would-be defector gets a 15-year sentence (+video)

Bo's case is extremely sensitive because of his political pedigree and his popularity. The son of one of the communist state's founding fathers, Bo has deep connections across the party, government and military. He was one of 25 Politburo members and became popular nationwide through high-profile policies in Chongqing, including a crackdown on organized crime run with police chief Wang.

Bo seemed destined for the uppermost rung in the leadership before the scandal sidelined him in April. But his overt maneuvering for a top political job, the excesses of his and Wang's anti-mafia crusade and a publicity campaign to promote communist culture angered other leaders.

Given the leadership's ultimate control of the courts, the trials of Wang and Gu Kailai, Bo's wife, were likely part of pre-packaged arrangements that include a resolution of Bo's fate. Both Wang and Gu, who was given an effective life sentence, confessed to the crimes they were charged with, and both declined to appeal.

Bo was not called as a witness — or even mentioned by name — in the official accounts of either Gu's or Wang's trial, a sign of how the party is seeking to guide the process and minimize the impact, National University of Singapore China expert Bo Zhiyue.

"You could see this as an attempt at damage control," said Bo, who is not related to the disgraced Chinese leader.

The scandal has been the messiest, most public one Communist Party leaders have had to confront in decades, leading to Bo's removal from the leadership, his wife's confession to the murder, and sharpening divisions among the leaders.

Wang's trial and conviction mark the spectacular downfall of a publicity-grabbing police official who rose to nationwide fame by leading Chongqing's high-profile but law-bending crusade against organized crime.

According to the official account of his trial, Wang had grown close to Gu and covered up the murder of Briton Neil Heywood last November. After becoming estranged from Gu, and later Bo, Wang fled to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu, fearing for his life.

The account said Wang secretly recorded Gu's confession to poisoning Heywood, a business associate whom she said had threatened her son's safety in a dispute over money.

The account portrays Wang as unbound by the law, ordering the surveillance of people without authorization and taking bribes from businessmen connected to Bo in exchange for releasing suspects from detention.

It said that after his falling out with Gu and Bo, Wang ordered subordinates to gather up the evidence and in February fled to the U.S. Consulate, where he sought political asylum, though he later surrendered to Chinese authorities. Gu was convicted of the murder last month and given a suspended death sentence.

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