Bo case family compo progress

The lawyer for the family of a British businessman murdered by the wife of a Chinese politician said some progress has been made in efforts to seek compensation.

He Zhengsheng, a Beijing lawyer for the family of Neil Heywood, said talks with the lawyers representing the convicted killer Gu Kailai had brought “initial results and some consensus”.

“We are making all efforts to achieve a final outcome,” he said, without giving a timeframe.

Mr Heywood’s murder was at the centre of China’s most embarrassing political scandal in decades, with Gu’s husband, Bo Xilai, dismissed from his post as Chongqing party chief and stripped of other political positions.

The lawyer also said the Chinese government was helping in the process. He disputed media reports that cited Mr Heywood’s mother as saying Chinese authorities had not been responsive to the family’s approaches for help. “My understanding is that his mother did not issue such a statement,” he said.

Mr Heywood is survived by a his wife, Wang Lulu, and two children. His wife has not spoken publicly about the case.

Bo will stand trial tomorrow on charges of corruption and abuse of power.

Gu was given a suspended death sentence last year after confessing to poisoning Mr Heywood. Such sentences usually are converted to long jail terms if a convict is deemed to have repented.

Li Xiaolin, a lawyer with ties to Gu’s mother, had previously said the family was seeking 30m to 50m yuan (€3.65m to €6m) in compensation.