Bo Xilai

The trial of ousted former senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai ended today, with the verdict due at an unspecified later date, state news agency Xinhua said.

Bo's trial on charges of corruption, accepting bribes and abuse of power started on Thursday and lasted through the weekend.

Chinese prosecutors demanded a heavy sentence for ousted senior politician Bo Xilai on the fifth day of his landmark trial, saying his "whimsical" challenge to bribery, graft and abuse of power charges flew in the face of the evidence.

Summing up the evidence on the fifth day of the trial, the state's prosecutor said Bo should not be shown leniency as he had recanted admissions of guilt provided ahead of the trial.

"The severeness of the accused's crimes, and that he refused to admit guilt, don't match the circumstances of leniency, and (he) must be severely punished in accordance with the law," the court cited the prosecutor as saying.

Ousted senior Chinese politician Bo Xilai angrily ripped into his former police chief on the fourth day of his trial, calling him a "vile character" who faked testimony accusing Bo of covering up a murder committed by his wife.

Bo was a rising star in China's leadership circles when his career was stopped short last year by a murder scandal which saw his wife Gu Kailai convicted of poisoning a British businessman.

He is now on trial charged with corruption, taking bribes and abuse of power, the last of which is especially sensitive as it involves allegations Bo challenged the authority of the ruling Communist Party.

Read: Bo Xilai claims his wife is 'mad'

The fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been described as "arrogant" and "scheming" in state media reports today after he came out fighting at his corruption trial yesterday.

The Communist party-run Guangming Daily said Bo's attitude towards witnesses is "swollen with arrogance", calling him "scheming, domineering and duplicitous".

In a commentary on the People's Daily website, Bo's feisty defence is described as "futile quibbling".

"The evidence in irrefutable," the newspaper writes. "Of course Bo Xilai has the right to defend himself ... but if he lacks sincerity, then his excuses will be ridiculed."

Read: Bo Xilai sticks to his own script in corruption trial

Ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai has fought back in court after being accused of corruption and covering up the murder of a British businessman.

Bo recanted a confession of bribery when prosecutors alleged he used his wife and son to help collect more than £2.5 million in illicit funds as he stood trial in China's biggest political scandal in decades.

ITV News China correspondent Angus Walker reports from the court in Jinan, eastern China:

Read Angus Walker's blog on the trial

Ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai has denied one of the corruption charges against him at a court in eastern China.

A court blog cited him as saying that he never received a bribe from Tang Xiaolin, the general manager of Hong Kong-based export company Dalian International Development Ltd.

He also stands accused of receiving about 21.8 million yuan (£2.3 million) in bribes from Xu Ming, a plastics-to-property entrepreneur who is a close friend.

Ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai was seen in public for the first time in 17 months when his trial opened in the eastern city of Jinan.

The picture, issued by the Jinan court, showed a clean-shaven Bo standing in the dock without handcuffs, his hands crossed in front of him, and flanked by two policemen.