The house was thought to have been bought by Xu Ming, a billionaire in Dalian who was close to Bo and who disappeared at about the same time last year as the politician fell from grace.
A source told CNN that while Xu bought the house, the Bo family "has no connection with its purchase and ownership".
French corporate documents say Neil Heywood, the British businessman whose murder in Chongqing in 2011 precipitated Bo's downfall, was one of three people who had managed the villa.
The house, which has a lavish garden overlooking the Mediterranean and its own swimming pool, was rented to holidaymakers.
Heywood was replaced as manager of the villa in May 2011 by a British woman of Chinese origin called Feng Jiang Dolby, a former presenter on China's state-controlled television.
As the preparations for Bo's trial continue, he is being quietly scrubbed from history. His photo has been removed from the line-up of former ministers at the Commerce Ministry in Beijing, according to one source who recently visited the building.
In Dalian, where Bo served from 1985 to 2000, rising to become the city's party secretary, one museum has assiduously removed the exhibits that once praised his leadership.
One unnamed source close to Bo's family described the charges against him as "ridiculous" in an interview with CNN.
He is expected to be accused of taking 20 million yuan ($4 million) in bribes through his wife, embezzling a further 5 million yuan and abusing his power.
"The charges go way back when Bo was in Dalian. That's more than 20 years ago. So they cannot find anything more recent?" the family friend said.
Meanwhile, a Chinese journalist supporting Bo has been taken into detention in Beijing, according to his friends.
Song Yangbiao was arrested for inciting people to support Bo, said Chen Chuang, a writer.
