Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been indicted on charges of corruption, accepting bribes and abuse of power, state media reported, moving China's biggest political scandal in years towards a final outcome.
The indictment paves the way for a trial, more than a year after Bo dropped from sight.
The Xinhua news agency said the indictment was handed over on Thursday by prosecutors in the eastern city of Jinan to the city's intermediate court. That indicates the trial will take place in the city soon, although the report did not say when.
Bo, the former party boss of the south-western city of Chongqing, was expelled from the party in September and accused of massive corruption, illicit sexual affairs and abetting the cover-up of the murder of the British businessman Neil Heywood by Bo's wife, Gu Kailai.
Bo's downfall and the investigation into his family presented the Communist party leadership with its ugliest public scandal in nearly two decades. It exposed the bare-knuckled infighting among the senior leadership and shone a light on corruption at high levels.
The allegations levelled against Bo in September dated back more than a decade, including abuse of power, bribe taking and improper relations with several women banned by the party because they were considered an inducement to corruption.
He was also accused of involvement in the cover-up of his wife's murder of Heywood, which was instrumental in triggering his downfall.
One of China's most ambitious and best-known politicians, Bo was brought down after a trusted aide fled to a US consulate to disclose the murder.
Bo was dismissed as party chief of Chongqing; Gu was given a suspended death sentence after confessing to the murder; and the aide, Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun, received a 15-year prison term for initially covering up the murder and other misdeeds.