Bo Guagua, the 24-year-old son of embattled former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai and murder suspect Gu Kailai, issued an exclusive statement through the website of the Harvard Crimson on Tuesday in which he avoided comments about the investigations into his parents and instead refuted allegations made about his lifestyle. From the statement:
Recently, there has been increasing attention from the press on my private life. As a result of these speculations, I feel responsible to the public to provide an account of the facts. I am deeply concerned about the events surrounding my family, but I have no comments to make regarding the ongoing investigation. It is impossible to address all of the rumours and allegations about myself, but I will state the facts regarding some of the most pertinent claims.
Facts:
• My tuition and living expenses at Harrow School, University of Oxford and Harvard University were funded exclusively by two sources—scholarships earned independently, and my mother’s generosity from the savings she earned from her years as a successful lawyer and writer.
…
• During my time at Oxford, it is true that I participated in ‘Bops,’ a type of common Oxford social event, many of which are themed. These events are a regular feature of social life at Oxford and most students take part in these college-wide activities.
Amid the downfall of his father and the probe into his mother’s role in the mysterious death of Neil Heywood in Chongqing late last year, Bo Guagua has come under scrutiny for both his “playboy” lifestyle and his rumored relationship with the late British businessman. In the statement, he denied that he had driven in a Ferrari and said he had not been to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing since obtaining a visa in 1998, responding again to a Wall Street Journal report in November which claimed he had picked up the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador in a red Ferrari.
See also additional coverage of Bo Xilai, Gu Kailai and Bo Guagua via CDT.
