Bo scandal a lesson on corruption

China learned a profound lesson from the Bo Xilai scandal and the Communist Party will make fighting corruption a top priority, a spokesman for the Party's 18th National Congress said yesterday.

Bo was a former member of the Political Bureau of the Party's Central Committee and former Party chief of Chongqing City.

"Our country is a society in transition. The phenomenon of corruption happens easily and often and is a long-term and arduous task for the Party (to tackle)," spokesman Cai Mingzhao told a news conference.

"The issues of Bo Xilai and Liu Zhijun ... occurred at senior levels within the Party and are serious corruption cases. The lessons (learned) were extremely profound," Cai said.

Liu, a former railways minister, was sacked for graft last year.

Cai pledged that the Party would strengthen supervision and "accelerate the formation of a system for punishing and preventing corruption, and gradually eliminate the breeding ground for corruption."

Bo's wife Bogu Kailai got a suspended death sentence in August for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. Bo was accused of corruption and bending the law to hush up the murder.

Email Story    Printable View    Blog Story    Copy Headline/URL