5 Years Later, BBC Looks Back at Bo Xilai's Downfall with This Interactive

It's been five years since the downfall of Bo Xilai.

The charismatic and once promising politician fell from grace in 2012 after British citizen Neil Heywood was found in his Chongqing hotel room in November 2011, dead of an apparent poisoning.

Neil Heywood

Bo's wife Gu Kailai was charged with carrying out the murder. Then police chief Wang Lijun revealed the details of the poisoning after trying to defect to the US Consulate in Chengdu in February 2012.

Gu Kailai, Bo Xilai and their son, Bo Guagua

Bo, who was one of the highest figures in Chinese government at the time, was suspended from the Politburo in April 2012. That same day, Gu was arrested on suspicion of murder, which she would eventually be found guilty of committing. She's currently serving a lifetime prison sentence.

The whole event culminated in a dramatic September 2013 court case, which saw Bo charged with bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. He too was punished with life in prison.

Bo Xilai in court

READ MORE: This Painfully Boring (And Staged) Photo of Bo Xilai in Handcuffs Just Won 'China's Pulitzer Prize'

BBC has produced a fascinating rich media interactive which looks back at the murder case that gripped China and made international headlines.

Take a look at the interactive here.