One of China's disgraced former leaders, Bo Xilai was indicted Thursday on charges of corruption, bribery and abuse of power, according to the Chinese State News Agency, Xinhua.

In 2012, Xilai was ousted as Communist Party chief of the south western city of Chongqing following the controversy surrounding a murder case of a British businessman, Neil Heywood.

Prosecutors said "the indictment paper was delivered" to a court in Jinan in the eastern province of Shandong according to Xinhua.

A source with direct knowledge of the case told AFP that the trail will be held in August.

"I think it will be in the middle or the end of August," the unidentified source told AFP.

The indictment of the politician, who was once a contender for the top leadership in the communist country, paves way for a trail that could prove new President Xi Jinping's commitment to combat corruption and indicate a move towards legal reform.

While taking over as head of the communist country, President Xi had vowed to combat corruption and bribery in the country.

More recently, Liu Zhiju, the former railway minister of China was sentenced to death with a two year reprieve for bribery and abuse of power.

On charges of corruption, bribery and steering lucrative projects to his close associates, Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court confiscated all his personal property and took away all political rights of the 60-year-old.  

Meanwhile, Bo Xilai's wife, Gu Kailai was given a suspended death sentence after confessing to killing Neil Heywood. The case has been the messiest scandal of the communist leadership in the last twenty years.