Saturday 15 March 2014

Neil Heywood case: what we know so far

Neil Heywood died on November 14 last year. The case has evolved into one of the biggest scandals in modern Chinese history, involving Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai. Malcolm Moore looks at what we know so far.

Neil Heywood case: What do we know?
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British businessman Neil Heywood in April 2011 Photo: REUTERS
Neil Heywood case: What do we know?
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The British businessman Neil Heywood and Gu Kailai, the wife of Bo Xilai Photo: Reuters

Who was Neil Heywood?

Mr Heywood was a 41-year-old British businessman living in Beijing with his Chinese wife, Wang Lulu, and two young children. A patriotic expat, chain smoker and dapper dresser, he fixed deals between English and Chinese companies, as well as doing corporate research and importing classic Aston Martin cars for China's new rich.

Arriving in the seaside city of Dalian in the 1990s, Mr Heywood became a member of the inner circle of the city's then mayor, Bo Xilai, now one of the most senior members of China's Communist Party.

What happened to him?

On November 13, Mr Heywood boarded a flight to Chongqing, where Mr Bo had governed since 2007. On November 14, he died. His body was found on November 15 in a private villa at the Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel, but the British authorities were not notified until the following day. Chinese police told consular staff he had died of alcohol poisoning. But they told his family he had died of a heart attack.

With the consent of his family on November 18, his body was cremated without an autopsy. A memorial service was held in Battersea in December.

What happened next?

On January 18, British businessmen in China expressed their doubts about his death to the Foreign office. No action was taken, however, until February 7, after the head of police in Chongqing, Wang Lijun, handed over a file on the case to American diplomats in Chengdu, as part of a bid to defect. Immediately, the Foreign office called for the case to be reinvestigated.

What does the family believe?

Initially, Mr Heywood's mother and sister in the UK, and his wife in China, said they had no reason to suspect foul play. When the Chinese government reopened the case on April 10, Mr Heywood's mother said she was "horrified" that her son might have been murdered.

Who is suspected?

On April 10, more than two months after the UK called for an investigation, the Chinese government said it had arrested Gu Kailai, the 54-year-old wife of Mr Bo, and a member of their household, Zhang Xiaojun, for the murder. Mr Bo was suspended from all of his party roles and is being investigated for a "serious breach of party discipline".

What has been the reaction in China?

Whatever the circumstances of Mr Heywood's death, there is an almost universal belief in China that his case is being used by Mr Bo's enemies to remove him from power.

An extremely capable and well-connected politician, Mr Bo had nevertheless stepped on many toes and alarmed some of China's top leaders with his ruthlessness and his use of Maoist ideology to win wide public support.

It would have been difficult to derail his rise to the pinnacle of Chinese politics without an exceptional reason - Mr Heywood's death provided that, and Mr Bo's enemies acted rapidly to dethrone him.

What does the Chinese government claim was the motive?

According to the initial investigation, Mr Heywood was slipped cyanide after an "economic" dispute arose with Mrs Gu. It has been suggested that the two quarrelled over his commission for helping her transfer a large, but undisclosed, sum of money overseas.

Why did the police chief try to defect?

According to Wang Kang, a public scholar and former dissident with a source close to Mr Bo and Mr Wang, the two men argued when Mr Wang reported the suspected involvement of Mr Bo's wife. A few days later, Mr Wang fled, apparently fearing for his life.

Was there an affair?

Gossip has spread that Mr Heywood and Mrs Gu were romantically attached. Several sources in Chongqing denied this, and two sources close to the investigation told Reuters it was not the case.

Have there been any other rumours?

Yes, lots. The case has attracted intense public interest in China, and the government has relaxed some of the censorship on the internet to allow some damaging smears against Mr Bo to circulate.

Many of the rumours are lurid Chinese whispers, unverifiable and often contradictory.

They include the suggestion that Mr Bo had hundreds of mistresses, and perhaps a love child, or was gay. That his wife murdered several others, perhaps including a former television anchor in Dalian. That she is addicted to drugs and unstable. That she is terminally ill with bone cancer.

That Mr Bo and his police chief, Wang Lijun, once drew guns on each other. That Mr Wang has stashed 5,000 firearms which remain hidden. That Mr Bo and Zhou Yongkang, another senior party chief, were plotting to overthrow the current leaders, or the next leaders, in a military coup. And so on.

When will the investigation conclude?

The Chinese government has not provided a timeline, but there are several investigations, including one into the Bo family's finances.

How much can we believe?

Ultimately, the only source of information about Mr Heywood's death is now the Chinese government. An offer for British police to assist has been declined.

Since the Chinese government has its own agenda in this case, it is possible that we will never know the truth.

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