'Caretaker' Zhao Dongping hid cash for Bo Xilai's family

Details of how 5 million yuan (HK$6.3 million) in allegedly embezzled public funds was funnelled to the family of Bo Xilai by their "caretaker" came to light on the third day of Bo's trial for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.

Zhao Dongping, director of the Beijing Angdao law firm, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, testified in a written statement that he accepted and kept 5 million yuan on behalf of Gu Kailai, Bo's wife, in addition to other family funds.

"Zhao Dongping is very reliable. He was a primary school classmate of Bo Xilai and they were very close," Gu said in her written testimony. "My assets at the law firm were run by Zhao. I would go to him when I needed money. I trusted Zhao very much."

Zhao is said to have once given financial assistance to a desperately poor Bo during the Cultural Revolution when his father, a revolutionary elder, was persecuted. Bo remained close to Zhao after he came to power, and Zhao was on the payroll of Gu's law firm before she closed it.

The 5 million yuan had been allocated to Dalian, where Bo formerly served as mayor, from an upper level of government on completion of a classified project in 2002.

Wang Zhenggang, former director of the city's urban and rural planning bureau, suggested to Bo that he could take the money in secret and use it on Gu and his son, who was studying overseas. Wang said he could talk to Gu directly if Bo was too busy, the court was told. Bo was Liaoning governor at the time.

According to Gu, Bo had a "very implicit" way of speaking and the two understood what the matter was without speaking about it directly. "We both knew very clearly that Wang Zhenggang wanted to give money to Bo Xilai and myself," Gu said.