24 July 2012 Last updated at 03:02 ET

Bo Xilai scandal: French diplomats meet architect Patrick Devillers

Mr Devillers was detained in Cambodia before he left for China

An architect with alleged links to scandal-hit Chinese politician Bo Xilai has met French diplomats and is in "good shape", an embassy official says.

Patrick Devillers, a French national, was detained in Cambodia before voluntarily flying to China on 17 July. He met embassy staff on Saturday.

He reportedly had close ties to Mr Bo, whose wife Gu Kailai is a suspect in the death of British man Neil Heywood.

There were no details about where he is or whether he is under investigation.

"He seems in good shape and had a good morale," the French embassy spokesman in Beijing told Reuters news agency. "So far as my colleagues could see, he seemed quite fine."

"We are in regular contact with him, and we are also in contact with the Chinese authorities on this subject, both in Beijing and in Paris," he added.

The spokesman declined to give further details about the case, Reuters reports.

Mr Devillers, who has been living in Cambodia for the past five years, was detained in Phnom Penh on 13 June at China's request.

Cambodia had said he would not be sent to either China or France without an investigation, but officials said he left for China of his own free will. A Chinese official had said that he was wanted as a witness.

Mr Bo, the former high-flying leader of the south-western Chinese megacity of Chongqing, was sacked in March and is under investigation for allegedly flouting Communist Party rules.

His downfall was triggered when his police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to the US consulate, reportedly to seek asylum after falling out with Mr Bo over his investigation into the death of Neil Heywood.

Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing on 15 November 2011. Local officials initially said he died of excessive drinking, but the government announced in April that it was investigating Mr Bo's wife in connection with the case.

Mr Bo and his wife have not been seen in public since then.