Sept 18, 2012
Translated by Pang Lei

The two-day trial of the former deputy mayor and police chief of Chongqing concluded earlier today. A verdict was not announced, though prosecutors did note that there were several grounds for reducing the severity of Wang's sentence.

The first day of the trial was held in closed court and dealt with the two of the four charges that Wang is accused of - defection and abuse of power.

The second day of the trial began this morning and, according to Xinhua News Agency, Wang's relatives, members of the media, delegates from China's National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and "people from all walks of life" were able to attend the hearing. Foreign media outlets have reported that they were unable to enter the courtroom.

On Monday, the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court heard evidence from Chengdu People's Procuratorate that Wang Lijun had commited two crimes.

The procuratorate alleged that Wang Lijun attempted to defect to a foreign consulate in violation of the provisions of Article 109 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China. Wang was also accused of violating laws related to the unauthorized use of surveillance technology to spy on many people which the procuratorate said violated the first paragraph of Article 197 of the Criminal Law and seriously undermined the socialist legal system and violated the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.

Today, the procuratorate alleged that contrary to his responsibilities as a law enforcement official, Wang helped to cover up the murder committed by Gu Kailai, the wife of the former Party Secretary of Chongqing Bo Xilai. The procuratorate said thay this was in breach of the first paragraph of Article 199 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China.

The prosecutors also presented evidence that Wang Lijun took advantage of his official position and illegally accepted a total of 305 million yuan in bribes in return for helping others. This was said to be in violation of article 385 of the Criminal Law.

A report from the official Xinhua News Agency that was published this afternoon noted that as Wang Lijun had raised concerns about the investigation into the death of Neil Heywood and had also retained certain physical evidence pertinent to the case which played a major role in the subsequent succesful investigation, he may be given a lighter or mitigated sentence.

The report also noted that Wang Lijun's sentence could be lightened due to the fact that he surrended himself and confessed to the main facts related to his defection and that he had also revealed others clues.

Links and Sources
Xinhua News Agency: 王立軍徇私枉法、叛逃、濫用職權(quán)、受賄案一審開庭
Xinhua News Agency: Wang Lijun stands trial for four charges