Bo Xilai (born in 1949) was a prominent member of the Chinese Communist Party, and had been seen as a leading candidate for the Standing Committee of its Politburo, before he was involved in a scandal which culminated in his expulsion from his official government post on the 26 October 2012.

Mr Bo, a 'princeling' of China's political elite, was the party chief in Chongqing province in western China and a member of the politburo which comprises the 25 most senior party officials in the Chinese government. A charismatic figure, his populist policies that harked backed to Mao Zedong-era era ideology won him many supporters. However his sharp fall from grace began in February 2012 when his former Chengdu chief of police (Wang Lijun) feld to the US consulate there, sparking investigation into the murder in China of British businessman Neil Heywood. Wang has since been gaoled for 15 years, whilst Mr Bo's wife has been convicted for Mr Heywood's death and handed a suspended death sentence.Mr Bo was removed from his post in March and has since disappeeared from the public-eye. As well as his official expulsion from the top legislature, Mr Bo is also due to face trial.