Gu Kailai to enter court as accused

A court in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei is getting ready to hold the most high-profile trial in China in decades when Gu Kailai, wife of ousted Communist party leader Bo Xilai, steps into the dock to face murder charges on Thursday.

A court in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei is getting ready to hold the most high-profile trial in China in decades when Gu Kailai, wife of ousted Communist party leader Bo Xilai, steps into the dock to face murder charges on Thursday.

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Gu’s trial could move the spotlight away from the country’s winning performance in the Olympics and bring it back on the case.

Also to come under focus is the secretive politics of the ruling Communist party; the trial comes only months before the once-in-a-decade change of leadership. The verdict in Gu’s case — a death sentence is not ruled out — is also likely to end her husband’s once promising political career.