Opinion | Mysteries surrounding Heywood murder begin to unfold

An investigative report about China’s most infamous former police officer Wang Lijun by China’s Southern Metropolis Weekly magazine has answered some questions relating to the murder of British businessmen Neil Heywood, whose death precipitated the downfall of China's once powerful and ambitious politician Bo Xilai.

Reading Time:4 minutes

Gu Kailai (left) visited Wang Lijun (right) when he was working in 2010. Photo: the Southern Metropolis Weekly

Published: 12:34pm, 19 Dec 2012Updated: 5:56pm, 19 Dec 2012

An investigative report about China’s most infamous former police officer Wang Lijun by China’s Southern Metropolis Weekly magazine has answered some questions relating to the murder of British businessmen Neil Heywood, whose death precipitated the downfall of China's once powerful and ambitious politician Bo Xilai.

Wang Lijun, Gu Kailai, Xu Ming – partners in crime

Wang Lijun, then police chief of Jinzhou, Laioning province, met Gu Kailai, Bo’s wife, in 2007 through business tycoon Xu Ming. Xu, a close associate of Bo, is believed to have amassed his wealth with Bo's help.

After he transferred to Chongqing in 2008, Wang helped Gu manage her family affairs. According to Gu, Wang was not only the head of Gu’s personal medical team, but was also responsible for the security of her son, Bo Guagua, who was studying in the US.

When a “threat” from Neil Heywood surfaced in 2011, Gu turned to Wang for help.

In an e-mail to Bo Guaggua, Heywood demanded to be paid £14 million for a Chongqing lands project he had worked on. Bo Guagua refused to pay and failed to reach any agreement with Heywood.