Li Zhuang stood in a Chongqing court in February 2010

A deathbed plea brought an unexpected guest to Li Zhuang's home one day last March, setting in motion a legal process that soon may clear the Beijing lawyer's name, throw out a number of convictions, and close a sordid chapter of the Bo Xilai story.

The visitor was Gong Ganghua, a businessman from the city of Chongqing, where Bo served as Communist Party chief before being deposed last spring on corruption charges in the run-up to China's latest leadership transition.