Son of disgraced Chinese leader Bo breaks silence

CHINA: The son of a disgraced Chinese leader being investigated for abuse of power has broken his silence to deny he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle paid for with the proceeds of corrupt business deals.

Bo Guagua, who is currently studying at Harvard in the United States, has come under intense scrutiny since his father Bo Xilai and mother Gu Kailai became implicated in the biggest political scandal to hit China in decades. His partying and allegedly extravagant lifestyle have triggered criticism in a country where the rich-poor divide is widening and anger over corruption and perceived impunity among leaders and their children is on the rise. In a statement to The Harvard Crimson -- Harvard's university newspaper -- the 24-year-old broke his weeks-long silence, denying reports he drove a Ferrari and addressing questions over his expensive overseas education.

“My tuition and living expenses at Harrow School, University of Oxford and Harvard University were funded exclusively by two sources -- scholarships earned independently, and my mother's generosity from the savings she earned from her years as a successful lawyer and writer,” he said.

Gu is currently under investigation in China for the suspected murder of British national Neil Heywood, who reportedly facilitated Bo Guagua's entry into Britain's exclusive Harrow School.

Bo Xilai, meanwhile, was sacked from his post as boss of Chongqing city last month and then suspended from the Communist Party's hugely powerful, 25-member Politburo for “serious discipline violations” -- shorthand in China for graft. AFP