China says investigating Bo for criminal offences

BEIJING (AP) - China's top prosecutor's office says it is investigating disgraced politician Bo Xilai for criminal offences as authorities move quickly to resolve a damaging public scandal that caused divisive infighting among the leadership.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate said late Friday that it has placed Bo under investigation for unspecified crimes and has imposed coercive measures on him - a euphemism for jail.

The prosecutor's announcement came hours after the legislature stripped Bo, once a member of the leadership, of his last official post, removing his immunity from prosecution. The move is largely a formality.

Bo's fate was sealed last month when his fellow leaders expelled him from the Communist Party and accused him of misdeeds ranging from corruption to negligence after he learned that his wife had murdered a British businessman.