China’s supreme court promotes presiding judge in Bo Xilai trial

Wang Xuguang, who presided over the high-profile trial of Bo Xilai in Ji'nan, Shandong province, has been promoted to the Supreme People's Court, the Legal Daily reported Thursday.

Bo Xilai, former secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and a former member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, was tried at Ji'nan Intermediate People's Court and sentenced to life imprisonment in August, 2013 for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

The Legal Daily listed the Bo Xilai's case as one of the top 10 legal news in 2013 and commented that the court strictly followed legal procedures and let both sides question, debate and present evidence.

Because of the case, the executive vice-president of Ji'nan Intermediate Court became the focus of attention. Before the Bo trial, Wang worked for many years on civil and commercial cases.

"The judge presided over the entire trial process and balanced litigation activities from both sides," Hong Daode, an expert on criminal lawsuit from the China University of Political Science and Law, told the People's Daily.