China's disgraced leader Bo Xilai mentioned the names of former President Hu Jintao and ex-security czar Zhou Yongkang during his high-profile trial over graft charges but the references were omitted from the transcript released by court, a media report said today.
While defending allegations of corruption against himself, 64-year-old Bo said that when he was the Commerce Minister he had briefed Hu, then General Secretary of CPC, about plans to grant permission to a private corporate group to import crude oil and petroleum, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
Bo was later accused of receiving hefty bribes from the company.
"The official transcript also removed Bo's mention of retired state leaders. In one instance, Bo explained to the court that, while he was minister of commerce, he had briefed then president Hu Jintao aboard his state aircraft on how he intended to grant permission to Xu Ming's company, Dalian Shide Group, to act as a private importer of crude oil and petroleum", the report said.
Xu is the tycoon from Dalian, where Bo was once mayor. Xu was said to have bankrolled the luxurious lifestyle of Bo's wife Gu Kailai and their son, Bo Guagua. Xu is also facing corruption charges.
The daily quoted "people with knowledge of the proceedings" as saying that Bo also claimed during his trial that he received orders from a law and order committee headed by China's former head of internal security Zhou on how to deal with the defection of Chongqing police chief Wang Lijiun to the US Consulate seeking asylum.
Bo, who is awaiting a verdict on charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power after his sensational five-day trial, is widely seen as an ally of Zhou. The Court's verdict in the trial that concluded last week will be pronounced at a later date.
Wang, 53, a close aide of Bo escaped to the US Consulate in Chengdu fearing reprisals from Bo over the investigations into his wife Gu's role in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.
Wang came out of the US Consulate at the intervention of central leadership and blew the lid over Bo's activities, leading to his ouster from the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Wang is serving a 15-year jail term and was produced as the main witness against Bo during the trial.
