Details from the public trial of Wang Lijun were released Wednesday, revealing that no one is above the law. Wang used to serve as Chongqing's vice mayor and police chief. Bogu Kailai, the wife of Bo Xilai, Chongqing's former Party chief, committed murder, and Wang and other officials helped cover up her crime.
Both Wang and Bogu Kailai have been tried publicly and proven justice will ultimately be served by the judicial system, which has the final say.
Both trials revealed the criminal collaboration between the pair. Bogu Kailai committed murder, while Wang abused the law and his power to cover up the homicide. Trust between the two gradually eroded because of the pressure they felt of being exposed for their crimes.
Justice can be found anywhere, even in instances where power seems to be able to dominate everything.
This is true not only in Wang's case, but also for many powerful elites. It proves the principle that those who do the crime ultimately will do the time. Reality is not a soap opera. The winding process for the realization of justice in real life can hardly be bearable. Such a process can sometimes bring disastrous results.
Wang's trial showed he had almost unchecked power before being arrested. He would place a case on file for investigation or withdraw a case at will. Who grants such power to a police chief? Is such abuse of power by Wang an individual case, or is it typical?
Wang was once publicly lauded as an anti-mafia hero, but his life on the other side of the law can only be described as disturbing.
If he hadn't sought asylum in the US Consulate General in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, there could be no normal way to uncover this twisting drama. This is alarming, and would represent a miscarriage of justice.
Exposure of this scandal has proved that the pressure of Chinese society requesting greater transparency is irresistible. In the future, similar cases will be difficult to hide.
Those who commit crimes, regardless of the power or position they hold, will not escape punishment. Wang's case has strengthened this faith among the public and served as a serious deterrent in the country.
Wang's trial will drive forward China's political system, as it has highlighted the urgency of checks and balance of power.
Confusion still exists over the case, but people are gradually believing more that justice will eventually trump over any privilege.
Confidence is built on more criminal officials being firmly punished, on the influential emergence of online supervision and the rising voice of individuals via Weibo.
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Wang Lijun stands trial on four charges
Chongqing's former vice mayor and former police chief Wang Lijun stood trial on Tuesday in an open court in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, for bribe-taking and bending the law for selfish ends.
Details of the trials of Wang Lijun
Wang Lijun, Chongqing's former vice mayor and former police chief, stood trial on Monday and Tuesday on charges of bending the law for selfish ends, defection, abuse of power and bribe-taking in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Wang Lijun's public trial to start Tuesday in Chengdu
Wang Lijun, the former vice mayor and police chief of Chongqing, will be tried publicly for defection, abuse of power, violating the law for personal favor and accepting bribes at the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court in Sichuan Province Tuesday, the court told the Global Times on Friday.