BEIJING — China has formally launched a criminal probe into disgraced former senior politician Bo Xilai, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday.

"The Supreme People's Procuratorate has decided to put Bo Xilai under investigation for alleged criminal offences," Xinhua said in a brief English-language report.

Bo's wife Gu Kailai and his former police chief Wang Lijun have both been jailed over the scandal stemming from the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

The government last month accused Bo of corruption and of bending the law to hush up that murder.