article: Mr Bo said he was coerced into making a confession and rubbished testimony from witnesses who included his wife. The former Chongqing Communist Party boss is also charged with corruption. He faces charges of abuse of power relating to his wife's role in the murder of a British businessman. Two years ago the 64-year-old high-flier was seen as a candidate for promotion to the Politburo Standing Committee, China's seven-member top decision-making body. But in February 2012, as China prepared for its once-in-a-decade leadership handover, questions emerged over the death of a British businessman, Neil Heywood. By Celia HattonBBC Beijing correspondent Is the Bo Xilai trial an act of tightly scripted political theatre or an unexpectedly colourful legal showdown? The Chinese authorities have taken pains to demonstrate that this trial is seemingly open and transparent by issuing a constant stream of updates on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. However, the updates offer a limited, one-sided view of what is going on in the courtroom. Criticisms of the trial have been deleted from Weibo, leaving the Jinan court's account of the proceedings as the only real source of information on the trial. On the other hand, even the bite-sized bits of information on Weibo cannot hide that Bo Xilai's testimony has been surprisingly belligerent. He has disputed charges and witness testimony against him, including that of his own wife. Mr Bo's seemingly energetic defence might also be part of the authorities' attempts to demonstrate that the former Chongqing Party boss will receive a fair hearing. Is this a game of legal smoke and mirrors? We have no choice but to continue to follow Weibo for more updates. Bo Xilai trial as blogged by the court Mr Bo's downfall was seen as the biggest political shake-up to hit China's ruling elite in decades. His wife, Gu Kailai, has since been convicted of Mr Heywood's murder. Correspondents say the trial is as much about getting rid of a popular politician as it is about criminal wrongdoing. Mr Bo is widely expected to be found guilty. Events in the courtroom gripped the nation. "Bo is a psychologically tough man. This kind of person is very appealing. I don't think he will plead guilty easily," one person wrote on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. The trial is taking place at the Intermediate People's Court in Jinan, in eastern Shandong province. The court is providing an account of proceedings on its official microblog. "I hope the judge will try this case fairly and justly according to the law of the country," Mr Bo reportedly said. Five of Mr Bo's relatives are said to be in court, along with 19 journalists and 84 other people. Foreign journalists have not been allowed in. According to the indictment posted by the court, Mr Bo is accused of receiving bribes totalling 21.8m yuan ($3.56m; Â£2.28m) from two Dalian-based businessmen. Mr Bo went on the offensive, denying accepting any money in the form of bribes. The court microblog quoted him as saying about one of the cases: "That [businessman] Tang Xiaolin gave me three bribes
summary: Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has fought back in court against charges of bribery on the opening day of the country's biggest political trial in decades.