( CNN ) -- The son of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai says the laundry list of allegations leveled against his father contradicts `` everything I have come to know about him throughout my life . '' Bo Xilai was once considered a top contender for the Politburo Standing Committee , the team of nine politicians who effectively rule China . But last week , the Communist Party relieved him of his duties and expelled him . He also faces possible criminal charges in connection with the murder of a British businessman , a crime for which is wife has been convicted . On Saturday , Bo 's son , Guagua , posted a statement on Tumblr , a microblogging site , where he defended his `` upright '' father . The statement made no mention of his mother . `` Personally , it is hard for me to believe the allegations announced against my father , because they contradict everything I have come to know about him throughout my life , '' the younger Bo wrote . `` Although the policies my father enacted are open to debate , the father I know is upright in his beliefs and devoted to duty . '' In an e-mail to CNN on Sunday , the son declined to comment further on the case . He said his statement posted to Tumblr was all he could say at the moment . The statement followed news Friday by the state-run Xinhua new agency that the elder Bo had been expelled from the Communist Party and faced prosecution on criminal charges . The Xinhua report on his expulsion painted a portrait of corruption , abuse of power and improper sexual relationships . The party said the politician made `` severe mistakes '' in the killing of the British businessman and a diplomatic incident involving a police official , Xinhua reported . Investigators cited influence peddling , bribery and womanizing , new details found in the course of the party 's investigation . `` Bo had or maintained improper sexual relationships with a number of women , '' the state news agency said . He also took advantage of his power to seek profits and received bribes , and his family `` accepted a huge amount of money and property from others , '' Xinhua said . The son said he could not reconcile the man accused of such acts and the man he knows as his father . `` He has always taught me to be my own person and to have concern for causes greater than ourselves . I have tried to follow his advice , '' he said in the statement . `` At this point , I expect the legal process to follow its normal course , and I will await the result . '' The elder Bo is a charismatic , albeit controversial , politician who launched a `` smashing black , singing red '' campaign in the southwestern city of Chongqing that promoted Communist ideology and zealously cracked down on organized crime . His economic programs , which included millions spent on social welfare , made him a popular leader in Chongqing . But analysts say his populist policies and high-profile personal style were seen as a challenge to the more economically liberal and reform-oriented faction that dominates the current party leadership . The politician 's fortunes changed when news surfaced this year that his wife , Gu Kailai , was a suspected accomplice in the poisoning of businessman Neil Heywood . Heywood died in November in Chongqing , where the elder Bo was the Communist Party chief . His death was originally blamed on excessive alcohol consumption . The politician was soon stripped of his top posts for `` serious breach of discipline . '' In August , his wife received a suspended death sentence after a seven-hour trial . The case also put the son under scrutiny as reports emerged over his lavish student lifestyle . Photographs of him bare-chested with his arms around women at a party at the University of Oxford were widely published and received badly in China . The father defended his son when the reports first came out , accusing people of trying to make the 24-year-old look bad . The younger Bo graduated from Harvard 's Kennedy School of Government in May . He previously attended the University of Oxford , graduating in 2010 . Wang Lijun , the former police chief of Chongqing , set off the controversial story on February 6 , when he fled to the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu and told American diplomats that Gu was a suspected accomplice in a murder case . After his request for asylum was turned down , Wang left the consulate and was taken away by Chinese officials . But his accusations rocked the world 's most populous nation . Wang last week was sentenced to 15 years for defection , cover-up , bribe taking and abuse of power . CNN 's Jason Kessler and Paul Armstrong contributed to this report .
NEW : Bo Guagua said `` it is hard for me to believe the allegations against my brother The 24-year-old is the son of disgraced politician Bo Xilai . He posts a statement on Tumblr defending his father . Bo Xilai is accused corruption , abuse of power and adultery .