POLITICAL PLATFORM IS NOT A SHIELD FOR Bo Xilai

Disgraced politician goes on trial in China

Bo Xilai scandal

The trial of Bo Xilai, the disgraced Chinese politician once tipped for the highest levels of power, has begun in the city of Jinan.

Mr Bo, who has not been seen in public for 18 months, is charged with bribery, corruption and abuse of power.

Formerly the Communist Party leader in Chongqing, he has since been stripped of official roles in a scandal that has seen his wife and police chief jailed.

Mr Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of the murder of Briton Neil Heywood. 

Questions emerged over the death of Mr Heywood in February 2012, as China prepared for a once-in-a-decade leadership handover.

Mr Bo, 64, had been seen as a candidate for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee, China's seven-member top decision-making body.

Instead he faces multiple charges and is widely expected to be found guilty.

His downfall was seen as the biggest political shake-up to hit China's ruling elite in decades.

'Bartered'

The trial - scheduled to start at 08:30 (00:30 GMT) - is taking place at the Intermediate People's Court in Jinan, which is in Shandong province. A tweet from China's state-run CCTV said proceedings were under way.

A convoy of police cars and a minivan arrived at the court early on Thursday, Reuters news agency reported. Police had blocked the court house's gates and lined roads leading to it, the agency said. 

It is not clear to what extent trial proceedings will be made public. No foreign journalists were given access to the trials of Gu Kailai or Wang Lijun, the police chief whose flight to a US consulate triggered the chain of events that felled Mr Bo.

Part of Wang's trial was also held in secret - similar rumours have circulated over Mr Bo's trial but these cannot be confirmed. It is also not known how long Mr Bo's trial will last.