When Wang Shu won the prize this past February, he was in Los Angeles, about to give a lecture at UCLA. Architect Neil Denari, a professor at the school and Wang's host, was with him that afternoon.
Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News said analysts believe the court statement issued after the trial listed many details that were favourable to Mr Wang - such as his contribution to the investigation of Gu Kailai's murder of British businessman Neil Heywood - which implied he might receive a lenient sentence.