China Indicts Bo Xilai for Corruption

One of nation's biggest recent political scandals

China's ruling Communist Party, which strives to present a unified, tightly scripted and corruption-free leadership to 1.3 billion citizens, moved Thursday to write the final chapter in one of the most damaging political scandals in recent decades.

The maverick, charismatic politician Bo Xilai, whose last post was Party chief of the sprawling metropolis of Chongqing, in the nation's southwest, was charged Thursday with bribery, embezzlement and power abuse, according to prosecutors in the city of Jinan, in east Shandong Province, reported the state-run Xinhua news agency.

The trial is likely to take place soon in Jinan, although this has not been officially confirmed. Bo has not been seen in public for 16 months since his dramatic downfall that involved his police chief Wang Lijun trying to defect to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu, and Bo's wife Gu Kailai being found guilty of murdering a British businessman in Chongqing.