Ex-police chief charged in China's major political scandal

The ex-police chief at the centre of China's biggest political scandal in years that hit the ruling the Communist Party has been charged with defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking, the state-media reported today.

Wang Lijun, 52, was the former police chief of the south -western Chinese city of Chongqing and had a reputation for being tough on organised crime.

Wang is charged with defection, abuse of power and bribe -taking, Xinhua news agency reported.

The prosecuting body filed the charges against Wang with the Intermediate People's Court of Chengdu City, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, it said.

Wang briefly fled to a US consulate in Chongqing in February, triggering a series of events that led to the downfall of the powerful politician Bo Xilai, who was also the Communist Party chief of the major city.

Bo Xilai's wife has since been given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

Bo had been tipped for promotion to China's highest leadership this year at the Communist Party Congress.

In early February, the Chongqing city government said Wang had been transfered to another job.

Four days later, he fled to the US consulate in Chengdu, near Chongqing, where many believe he sought asylum.

He spent the night there but was persuaded to leave a day later. He gave himself up to police and has been in detention since then.

According to Xinhua news agency, Wang Lijun is suspected of attempting to cover up Gu Kailai's involvement in the Heywood murder.

He knew that Gu Kailai was a suspect, but "consciously neglected his duty and bent the law for personal gain", according to the indictment issued by the Chengdu City People's Procuratorate.

He is also accused of leaving his post without authorisation with the intention of defecting at the US Consulate General in Chengdu.

He is also suspected of forging documents and of accepting huge sums of money in abuse of his position as vice mayor and police chief of Chongqing.

The People's Procuratorate of Chengdu say the evidence against him was "concrete and abundant", Xinhua said.

The Chengdu City Intermediate People's Court has accepted the case and will hold a trial at a later date, the report said.