BEIJING — Days before a Chinese court is to issue a verdict in the corruption trial of fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai, a defiant letter attributed to him says he will wait quietly in jail to be vindicated, and that “everything will be clear one day.”
The letter, which began circulating on the Internet this week, blames Bo’s wife for his legal troubles. It also suggests that Bo hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father, Bo Yibo, who was imprisoned several times during his political career but was eventually rehabilitated and served as China’s vice premier.
“Dad has been imprisoned many times in life, and I will set him as my example!” the letter read.
The Associated Press was unable to independently verify the letter’s authenticity. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that two people with close ties to the Bo family had confirmed that it came from him. The newspaper did not name its sources, which has been common with Hong Kong media covering the sensitive case.
Li Xiaolin, a prominent Beijing lawyer who has been advising the family of Bo’s wife, said it is likely to be a fake because the author hinted a comeback. “How could he clearly state that intention?” Li asked rhetorically.
Bo, a former Politburo member and Chongqing city party leader, was tried on charges of taking bribes, embezzlement and abuse of power last month in the eastern city of Jinan.
During the five-day court trial, Bo mounted an unusually spirited defense, acknowledging mistakes in his leadership but admitting no guilt. However, observers believe Bo will be found guilty when the verdict is announced Sunday, as the case is a result of his downfall in factional infighting ahead of China’s leadership transition last fall.
In the circulated letter, the author blames Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, for the wrongdoings and for keeping him in the dark. Gu has been convicted of a murder that set off the scandal against her husband last year, when Bo’s police chief fled to a U.S. consulate with information about the slaying.
“It is wrong that I have been implicated, but everything will be clear one day, and I will wait for it quietly in the jail,” the letter reads.
In the letter, the author also pledged not to bring disgrace to his parents and their glory.