BREAKING NEWS: Bo Xilai admits
Former top Chinese
politician Bo Xilai has admitted "some responsibility" for the money he
is accused of embezzling that ended up in his wife's accounts.
"I feel ashamed. I was too careless. These are state funds," he said.He told the Jinan court that it was his wife who had actually stolen the money, which came from government funds, but that he did not do enough to stop it.
Mr Bo also mocked a former colleague's testimony as "self-conflicting" and "illogical".
Wang Zhenggang said he had been present when Mr Bo told his wife to take kickbacks, but Mr Bo said only a fool would discuss bribery in front of witnesses.
The scandals involving Mr Bo's family, which used to be one of the most elite in China, have captivated the country.
Mr Bo, who rose to become the Communist Party chief in Chongqing, denies bribery and corruption - and also the charge of abuse of office, which the court has not yet examined.
He is accused of using his position to cover up for his wife Gu Kailai, who has been convicted of murdering a British businessman.
Mr Bo's ex-police chief Wang Lijun, his close colleague in Chongqing, is also testifying against him.
Many analysts assume the outcome of the trial, now in its third day, has been predetermined - with a guilty verdict.But Mr Bo has given what, for China, is an unusually vigorous defence, observers say.
They say the court hearing is as much about getting rid of a popular politician as it is about criminal wrongdoing.
Foreign media are not allowed into the trial, but the court in the eastern city of Jinan has been posting regular updates on China's micro-blogging site Weibo (in Mandarin).
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