China: Bo Xilai Sentenced to Life in Prison

Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been given the life sentence after being found guilty of all charges by the Intermediate People's Court in the eastern city of Jinan.

The court pronounced the former party chief of Chongqing guilty of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

He was awarded life sentence for taking 26.8m yuan (£2.73m) in bribes and 15 years for embezzlement as well as seven years for abuse of power.

The 64-year-old's life sentence marks the end of one of the country's high-profile political cases in decades.

"Bo Xilai was a servant of the state, he abused his power, causing huge damage to the country and its people ... The circumstances were especially serious," said the verdict.

The court ordered confiscation of his personal assets and stripped him of his political rights.

Bo has the right to appeal against the verdict and is likely to do so. The case will then be heard by the Supreme Court in Shandong province, but people familiar with the matter suggest his appeal is unlikely to be successful. The Chinese politician had vehemently denied any wrongdoing during a five-day trial earlier.

The details of the trial were shared by the Chinese courts in an unprecedented manner, but the verdict was predictable.

The political career of Bo, who was once a rising star in Chinese politics, came to an end when his wife Gu Kailai was convicted of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood.

Bo wrote a letter to his family ahead of the verdict saying: "I am an innocent victim and I feel wronged. But I believe one day truth will prevail...I will wait quietly in jail for that day to come," according to the Hong Kong-based South China Moring Post, which cited an unidentified insider as its source.