Bo Xilai contests bribery charges at his trial in eastern China

• The trial of the fallen politician gets under way in the city of Jinan


• The court publishes the first picture of Bo since April 2012


• He is on trial on charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of power


• His downfall triggered the Communist Party’s biggest crisis in decades

Jinan, China (CNN) — Bo Xilai, the former high-flying Chinese politician whose dramatic fall from grace shook the ruling Communist Party, appeared at his closely watched trial in eastern China on Thursday.

Once considered a contender for the top rungs of China’s political hierarchy, Bo is now on trial on charges of bribery, corruption and abuse of power.

Chinese authorities had talked of an open trial for the former party boss of the sprawling southern metropolis of Chongqing. But journalists from the international news media weren’t allowed into the courtroom in the eastern city of Jinan.

Updates on the strictly controlled proceedings came from the Jinan court’s official microblog account and from official state-run news outlets.

The court published a photo Bo, who hadn’t been seen in public since he was stripped of his high-ranking party posts in April 2012. The image showed him standing at the dock in a white, long-sleeved shirt, flanked by two uniformed police officers.

His hands, clasped in front of him, were not in handcuffs, and he appeared little changed compared with pictures taken before he disappeared from public view.

The court also published what it said was a dialog between Bo and the chief judge in which the defendant was cited as saying he hoped the court “can hear my case reasonably and fairly, as well as following our country’s legal procedure.”

The chief judge replied that the court “understands your concerns, and will use our legal authority fairly and in accordance to the law.”

Asked if he had any objections to the prosecution’s evidence, Bo said: “No. I believe it is objective and true,” according to the transcript released by the court.

Bo’s spectacular downfall — complete with tales of murder, corruption and betrayal — set off the Communist Party’s biggest political crisis in decades.

His wife is in prison, convicted last year of murdering a British businessman. Their son, living in the United States, says he hasn’t spoken to his parents in a year and half.

CNN’s Feng Ke, K.J. Kwon and Jaime A. FlorCruz in Beijing contributed to this report.

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Bo Xilai contests bribery charges at his trial in eastern China