British Man Whose Death Caused a Scandal in China May Have Been a Spy

Repercussions of Neil Heywood's death brought down Bo Xilai and his wife, Gui Kalai

he death of Neil Heywood, a British businessman who worked in China, was the spark that brought down Chinese leader Bo Xilai and his wife, Gui Kalai.

The official version goes something like this — Heywood, angry with a business deal that went sour, had at some point threatened Bo and Gu's son, Bo Guagua. Gu, in a fit of motherly rage, later invited him to a hotel on the outskirts of Chongqing and poisoned him. The problem with this story is that key aspects of it seem a little odd, and unfortunately the Chinese justice system wasn't prepared to put it to the test.