Chinese court commutes death sentence for Bo Xilai’s wife, murderer Gu Kailai
Former railway chief Liu Zhijun also given a reprieve in rare high-profile announcement
China took the rare step on Monday of announcing that the suspended death sentences handed down to two high-profile figures had been reduced to life in prison.
Commuting such sentences is a routine practice, but highlighting it is unusual.
In Beijing, the high court on Monday said that Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced former Politburo member Bo Xilai, had her suspended death penalty reduced to a life sentence following good behaviour.
She was found guilty in 2012 of murdering a British businessman in a case that also brought down her husband, triggering one of the biggest political scandals in generations.
Former railway minister Liu Zhijun, convicted of bribery and abuse of power in 2013, also saw his sentence similarly reduced, according to media reports.
But the Shandong Higher People’s Court extended its review for the third time of the wrongful conviction of Nie Shubin, who was executed in 1995 for the rape and murder of a woman in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province. He was 21 when executed and a decade later, another man came forward to admit he carried out the attack.
READ MORE: The tragedy of Gu Kailai
The court cited the complexity of the case in assigning another three months to the review.
In Gu’s case, the Beijing Higher People’s Court reviewed a recommendation by the Yancheng prison, where Gu has been serving time. The court approved the step because she had not committed any crimes during the period and showed remorse.
The court handled the recommendation on November 12 and put it up for public feedback for five days online, according to the statement.
Under mainland criminal law, a suspended death sentence will be reduced to life in jail if no crimes are committed during the two years of reprieve. But it’s rare for the media to make high-profile reports about the process.
READ MORE: Party reveals Bo Xilai graft, blames Gu Kailai
Gu had followed the code of conduct for prisoners, taken part in educational activities, passed an exam and completed her work assignments, the court said. It reduced Liu’s punishments for the same reason.
“It is just a procedure that a suspended death penalty can be reduced to a life sentence if no further crimes are committed. The life sentence is likely to be reduced to 25 years in another two years if Liu behaves well,” his lawyer, Qian Lieyang, said.
In another case, the Beijing No2 Intermediate People’s Court recommended the sentence handed down to Huang Guangyu , founder and former chairman of electrical appliances retailer Gome, be reduced by one year. Huang was sentenced in 2010 to 14 years for bribery, insider trading and illegal business dealings. In 2012, he had 10 months taken off.
