20:27
Tieng Anh Vui
A Chinese court is due to hand down a verdict to disgraced former top politician Bo Xilai.
Mr Bo was removed from office last year amid a scandal which saw his wife convicted for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
The former party chief of Chongqing was charged with abuse of power, corruption and bribery - he denied them all in a fiery defence at his trial in August.
Analysts say he is likely to be given a guilty verdict and a long jail term.
The Intermediate People's Court in Jinan, Shandong province, is expected to announce its verdict at 10:00 local time (02:00 GMT).
During his trial last month the court took the unprecedented step of releasing details about proceedings on its Weibo microblog.
Analysis
The court will issue a verdict to the Bo Xilai case on Sunday. However, this saga could drag on. The former party chief of Chongqing could launch an appeal, which would lead his case to be retried in a higher court within the next two months.
Most agree that Mr Bo defended himself so vigorously in court that it seems probable that he will submit an appeal. He will have 10 days to do so after the verdict is read.
Under China's criminal procedure law, the appeals process could involve the entire case being reheard, or the court could only focus on certain parts of the original case.
It's unlikely the appeal judges would declare Mr Bo to be innocent, but the process can still be declared a victory in the development of China's legal process.
Jerome Cohen, a respected lawyer and an expert on China's legal system, argues that by allowing Bo Xilai to go through the appeals process, China's leaders will verify the rights of an accused person to defend himself. Reason enough, it seems, for the Bo Xilai soap opera to continue.
Prosecutors accused Mr Bo of accepting bribes and embezzling public funds from Dalian, where he used to be mayor.
He was also accused of abusing his office by using his position to cover up for his wife Gu Kailai, convicted last year of murdering Neil Heywood in 2011.
In lengthy comments in court, he said he did not illegally obtain millions of dollars or cover up Mr Heywood's killing.
He also dismissed the testimony of two key witnesses, describing his wife's statement as "ridiculous" and his former police chief Wang Lijun's testimony as "full of lies and fraud".
Political crisis
Mr Bo's fall from power was triggered when Wang sought refuge in the US consulate in Chengdu in February 2012.
The incident prompted an investigation into the death of Mr Heywood. Wang has since been jailed for 15 years for helping Gu cover up the murder.
The Bo Xilai scandal triggered a crisis in the Communist Party, which was about to hold its once-in-a-decade leadership handover, and revealed divisions at the top of the party over how Mr Bo should be handled.
Two years ago Bo Xilai was seen as a candidate for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body.
His downfall was seen as the biggest political shake-up to hit China's ruling elite in decades.
But his trial also offered the public a rare glimpse into the life of China's rich and powerful, with lurid details emerging of lavish vacations and luxury villas.
Earlier this week, an overseas-based dissident Chinese news website published a letter allegedly written by Mr Bo in prison on 12 September.
Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post said that unidentified insiders with close ties to Mr Bo had confirmed that the letter, addressed to Mr Bo's family, was genuine.
"I am an innocent victim and I feel wronged," the letter read. "But I believe one day truth will prevail...I will wait quietly in jail for that day to come."
Đăng ký: Tieng Anh Vui
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