High-profile political scandal that occurred in China in 2012.
The scandal began to unfold in February 2012 when Bo Xilai’s former chief of police, Wang Lijun, sought asylum at the US consulate in Chengdu. Wang reportedly had evidence of corruption and other crimes committed by Bo and his family. The scandal quickly escalated and became a major political crisis for the Chinese government.
Bo was subsequently removed from his positions in the Communist Party and the government, and his wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of the murder of a British businessman, Neil Heywood. Bo himself was eventually convicted of corruption, bribery, and abuse of power, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2013.