Chinese court accepts Bo Xilai appeal

“This court, upon investigation, decided in accordance with the law to accept,” the Shandong Higher People’s Court said in a statement without mentioning any specific date.

In this September 22, 2013 photo released by the Jinan Intermediate People's Court, Bo Xilai, stands inside the court, in eastern China's Shandong province.

A higher-level provincial court in China said on Wednesday it would hear the appeal of former Politburo member Bo Xilai, who was, last month, sentenced to life in prison on corruption charges.

The Higher People’s Court of northeastern Shandong province said in a statement Mr. Bo had submitted an appeal following the five-day trial in the Intermediate Court in Jinan – the provincial capital – and that it had “decided to hear his case after examination”.

Mr. Bo had been sentenced to life in prison after the Jinan court found him guilty of accepting at least 20 million Yuan (Rs. 20 crore) in bribes, largely through his family members, and covering up the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood, who had been poisoned by Mr. Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai.

The former Chongqing party chief had, in his defence, maintained he was unaware of the business dealings of his family.

Although the higher level provincial court has agreed to listen to Mr. Bo’s appeal, it remains unlikely that his sentence will be overturned. The Communist Party of China’s Politburo, which holds control over the courts, decided to sack Mr. Bo and end his political career last year, following the Heywood scandal.