FRENCH ARCHITECT LINKED TO BO XILAI SCANDAL HELD IN CHINA

Bo Xilai & son

Asian media are reporting that the elusive Patrick Henri Devillers, the French architect who is linked to the Chinese attorney, Gu Kailai, accused of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, is in custody in China. Devillers is said to have voluntarily gone to China to answer questions, solely as a witness, but was taken into custody upon arrival in Shanghai.

Neil Heywood

The Bo Xilai case, which involves the allegation that Heywood was poisoned when he refused to take part in a money laundering operation involving a senior Chinese PEP, has laid bare the culture of corruption practised by the descendants of senior Chinese leaders, who apparently feel that they are immune from the rule of law. Devillers is himself thought to have been involved in money laundering whilst he and Kailai lived in the UK.  

Was it this Princeling's money that Gu Kailai sought to launder ?

Will this scandal reveal the extent to which some Chinese PEPs, known as "princelings," launder their illicit funds overseas ? We expect it will; stay tuned.