Beijing:
A Chinese court will hold a hearing on Friday to rule on an appeal by politician Bo Xilai against the guilty verdict and life imprisonment he was handed last month.
The Shandong Provincial Higher People's Court said today in a notice on its website that Bo's appeal will be heard on Friday morning.
Bo was found guilty of embezzlement, bribery and abuse of power by a lower court last month and sentenced to life in prison.
The court can uphold the lower court's decision, modify the sentence or ask for a retrial. But it is expected to stick to the verdict because Bo's fate has been seen by political analysts as predetermined by the highest leadership of the Communist Party, which controls the court system.