Bo claims to wear 50-year-old underwear at trial

Fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai attempted to counter accounts of his family's luxury lifestyle Monday by telling his corruption trial his underwear was five decades old, AFP reports. Prosecutors at the hearings in Jinan have provided riveting details of private jet flights, French Riviera villas and rare animal meats enjoyed by Bo and his family, courtesy of wealthy businessmen. But the former boss of the southwestern megacity of Chongqing -- who always appeared well-dressed in his heyday -- hit back, telling the court he was a simple man. "I am personally not interested in clothing. The long johns I am wearing now were bought for me by my mother in the 1960s," Bo said. "I'm telling you all that the jacket I'm wearing, and the suits in my wardrobe, were all produced by a township enterprise in Xinjin county in Dalian." The comments appeared in regular but delayed transcripts of the proceedings posted by the Intermediate People's Court in Jinan on its verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Bo has claimed ignorance of the dealings of his wife Gu Kailai and son Bo Guagua as a string of allegations were made about his family's opulent lifestyle. Long johns are commonly worn during China's harsh winters.

Fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai attempted to counter accounts of his family's luxury lifestyle Monday by telling his corruption trial his underwear was five decades old, AFP reports. Prosecutors at the hearings in Jinan have provided riveting details of private jet flights, French Riviera villas and rare animal meats enjoyed by Bo and his family, courtesy of wealthy businessmen. But the former boss of the southwestern megacity of Chongqing -- who always appeared well-dressed in his heyday -- hit back, telling the court he was a simple man. "I am personally not interested in clothing. The long johns I am wearing now were bought for me by my mother in the 1960s," Bo said. "I'm telling you all that the jacket I'm wearing, and the suits in my wardrobe, were all produced by a township enterprise in Xinjin county in Dalian." The comments appeared in regular but delayed transcripts of the proceedings posted by the Intermediate People's Court in Jinan on its verified account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Bo has claimed ignorance of the dealings of his wife Gu Kailai and son Bo Guagua as a string of allegations were made about his family's opulent lifestyle. Long johns are commonly worn during China's harsh winters.

trial politicians news Corruption China Asia Pacific