The Telegraph quotes several sources who claim that Bo Guagua, the 24-year-old graduate of Oxford and Harvard, has quietly returned to China to prepare for the trial of his father, disgraced Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai. Rumors are circulating that the elder Bo’s trial could begin imminently so that the Communist Party can wrap up his high-profile case before the the 18th Party Congress, which is scheduled to begin November 8. Bo Xilai has not yet been formally charged but he was expelled from the Communist Party and has been accused of a long list of misdeeds. From the Telegraph report:
“Bo Guagua flew back to Beijing last week,” said a source in Chongqing who has repeatedly provided accurate information on the saga around the Bo family.
“He stepped into a police car as soon as he landed and is most probably with the investigation team now. He could potentially appear in court,” he added.
[…] The younger Mr Bo will also have to tread carefully: some experts have said the evidence presented at his mother’s trial and at the trial of Wang Lijun, his father’s chief of police, could incriminate him.
“They laid the ground to bring charges against Bo Guagua if they want. If not, it means they have done a deal,” said the diplomatic source.
Updated at 20:22 PST: On Twitter, The New York Times’ Edward Wong and The Guardian’s Tania Branigan report that Bo Guagua denies having returned to China:
Bo Xilai talk: Bo Guagua just said in email to NYT that the news of his arrival in China “is completely without basis.”
— Edward Wong (@comradewong) October 15, 2012
& Bo Guagua to Guardian: “Like much of the news reported about my family, the rumour that I am back in China is false”
— tania branigan (@taniabranigan) October 15, 2012
Both also report that Changsha authorities have denied any knowledge of an impending trial.
