Bo Xilai, the former high-flying Chinese politician whose dramatic purge sparked the most serious political upheaval in the country in decades, was charged on Thursday with several counts of corruption and abuse of office.
In what is virtually certain to be a show trial with a preordained outcome decided by top Communist party leaders, Mr Bo will appear in a court in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan, Shandong province, state media said on Thursday.
The trial, which is expected to start within weeks, will be closed to the public and media, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr Bo is expected to get a life sentence if found guilty of dereliction of duty and corruption involving tens of millions of renminbi.