Fired Communist Party official Bo Xilai at the State Council in Beijing on April 11, 2006. (UPI Photo/Stephen Shaver) |
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BEIJING, April 25 (UPI) -- The son of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai defended his lifestyle in an open letter published in Harvard University's student newspaper.
In his letter to the Harvard Crimson, Bo Guagua said he was "deeply concerned" about his father Bo Xilai, and mother Gu Kailai, and tried to dispel some of the speculation that has been swirling since his father was sacked from his posts in the Communist Party after it was announced his wife was being investigated in the death of British businessman Neil Haywood.
Bo Guagua used the letter to try to dismiss some of the more fanciful rumors, such as he drove a Ferrari, but it also confirmed he led a life of privilege, the BBC reported Wednesday.
"I am deeply concerned about the events surrounding my family, but I have no comments to make regarding the ongoing investigation," the letter published on the Harvard Crimson's Web site read. "It is impossible to address all of the rumors and allegations about myself, but I will state the facts regarding some of the most pertinent claims."
He said his education was underwritten by scholarships and his mother. He said he participated in social events and extracurricular activities while at Oxford, saying they were a "regular feature of social life" at university.
While acknowledging interest in his life hasn't faded, Bo Guagua asked "that members of the press kindly refrain from intruding into the lives of my teachers, friends and classmates."
The BBC said Harvard officials spoke with Bo to verify the statement was his.
Allegations against Bo's parents surfaced earlier this year after Chongqing's police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to the U.S. consulate to apparently seek asylum. Chinese state media said Wang, once Bo Xilai's right-hand man, had information about the death of Heywood, who died in a Chongqing hotel in November 2011.
An account published by China's state-run news agency Xinhua said Gu Kailai and Bo Guagua "were in good terms with Heywood. However, they had conflict over economic interests, which had been intensified."
The Xinhua story did not elaborate, the BBC said.
Bo Xilai, once considered a political rising star, has not been seen in public since he was sacked.
