Fallen Communist party boss Bo Xilai found guilty of corruption and sentenced to life in jail after trial that gripped China Bo, a former member of the powerful Politburo, was found guilty of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power The senior politician accepted large bribes from business associates Was investigated for corruption after his wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of murdering British businessman Neil Heywood A disgraced Communist politician who was once a member of China's innermost circle of power has been sentenced to life in prison on corruption charges. Bo Xilai, 64, a former member of the powerful Poliburo which rules China, was today convicted of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power by the Jinan Intermediate People's Court. The trial has been one of the most lurid scandals in Chinese politics, involving defection, defiance and murder. Disgraced: Bo, pictured earlier in the trial, was today sentenced to life in prison at the Jinan Intermediate People's Court in China He was sentenced to life in prison on the bribery charges, 15 years for embezzlement and seven years for abuse of power. The senior politician's downfall began when a senior aide, Wang Lijun, defected to a US Embassy and revealed details of a murder committed by Bo's wife, Gu Kailai. In August 2012 a Chinese court convicted Gu of the murder of Neil Heywood, whom she was said to have killed with poison in a hotel after a business dispute. Bo was then dismissed from his political office and investigated for corruption. In a marked departure from other recent politically charged trials, which are typically understood to be closely choreographed proceedings, Bo launched an unusually vigorous defence during his trial last month. He denied all charges and blamed the corruption on others in his inner circle, thus forgoing the opportunity to earn leniency as is customarily given in Chinese courts when a defendant expresses contrition. Bo also became the highest-level politician convicted for corruption under China's leader Xi Jinping, who has staked his reputation on combating graft within the Communist Party. Downfall: Bo Xilai (right) was investigated for corruption charges after his wife Gu Kailai (left) was convicted of murdering a British businessman Investigation: Mrs Gu was given a suspended death sentence for murder in August 2012 'I think the point is that Xi wanted to punish Bo Xilai for daring to go against the party's arrangements,' said Willy Lam, an expert on party politics at Chinese University in Hong Kong. He was punished for his disobedience and defiance. According to details of today's proceedings released by the court in Twitter-like posts, Bo was escorted into the courtroom by marshals and stood to listen as the judge read out the lengthy verdict. The court rejected Bo's defence that he did not know about the £2.2 million in bribes from two business associates in the form of extensive valuable gifts to his family - including a French villa, expenses-paid trips, an electric scooter and fancy delicacies such as abalone. Power: Mr Bo was previously a member of China's powerful Politburo However, the court said a small portion of the bribes alleged by prosecutors, of about £100,000 were not proven in court. The trial proceedings had been publicised through partial transcripts that gave a measure of legitimacy to a trial seen by many observers to have a foregone conclusion of guilt and predetermined sentence because of the Communist Party leadership's control over the court system. 'This is a big victory for Xi Jinping's leadership, because you cannot say this is a secretive trial. It is at least a semi-open trial,' said Li Cheng, an expert of elite politics at Brookings Institute. 'Bo's political career is zero, and the trial really transformed Bo from a charismatic leader to a self-indulging person.' Bo's downfall was set in motion in February 2012 when his former top aide attempted to defect to a US consulate with information about his wife's murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. Prosecutors later accused Bo of interfering with the investigation into the murder, as well as unrelated corruption uncovered by investigators. Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, confessed to the murder and was handed a suspended death sentence last year that will probably be commuted to life imprisonment.