French Bo Xilai-associate left freely for China, Cambodian police video shows

Patrick Devillers with the video's translator

police.gov.kh

By RFI

Cambodian police have released a video to prove that French architect Patrick Devillers left voluntarily for China, where he will answer questions about his association with disgraced politician Bo Xilai and his wife Gu Kailai.

In the video, in French and Khmer, Devillers says that he is leaving for Shanghai and “probably Beijing afterwards” to help the inquiry into Gu, who is accused of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

“It is my own wish to clear up this situation,” he tells a police interviewer via a translator, adding when questioned further, “I repeat that I’m leaving of my own free will.”

Devillers thanks the Cambodian government and immigration police for their “care and friendship” during the detention that followed his arrest at China’s request on 13 June.

Having challenged Beijing to produce legal justification for its initial demand for Devillers’ extradition, the French foreign ministry now says that he is going to China voluntarily.

The Cambodian authorities were also anxious Friday to show that he left of his own accord, explaining that that was why they posted the video on the national police website.

"The video clip is to confirm that we did not deport him to China,” national police spokesperson Kirt Chantharith told the AFP news agency. “He voluntarily went to China by himself to be a witness.”

At the end of the video Devillers is shown going through passport control at the VIP section of Phnom Penh airport.