Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Frenchman linked to Bo in `good shape'

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The French architect being questioned in Beijing in a probe linked to disgraced politician Bo Xilai is in "good shape," said a French embassy spokesman. 
Patrick Devillers met with French diplomats over the weekend after flying to the mainland from Cambodia, where he had been detained at the request of Beijing, said the spokesman.

France's foreign ministry said earlier it had asked for access to the 52-year-old architect, who agreed to go to Beijing to assist in the inquiry.

Devillers is understood to have been a close business associate and friend of Bo, the former Communist Party chief of Chongqing, and his wife Gu Kailai, key figures in China's biggest political scandal in decades, although his exact role is unclear.

He is believed to have first crossed paths with Bo and Gu in the 1990s, when Bo, then mayor of Dalian, hired him to do some architectural work in the city.

Gu, a former lawyer, has been detained for suspected involvement in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood last year. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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