From Interpol Ex-President Who Vanished in China, a Confession

Chinese court says Meng Hongwei admitted taking $2M in bribes
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 20, 2019 7:08 AM CDT
From Interpol Ex-President Who Vanished in China, a Confession
In this July 4, 2017, file photo, then Interpol President Meng Hongwei delivers his opening address at the Interpol World Congress, in Singapore.   (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

Former Interpol President Meng Hongwei confessed to accepting more than $2 million in bribes and expressed regret for his crime, a Chinese court said Thursday. The No. 1 Intermediate Court in the northeastern port city of Tianjin said Meng read a statement containing the confession at a hearing. That move assures a conviction, although it isn't immediately clear when a verdict and sentence would be handed down. Elected president of the international police organization in 2016, Meng disappeared into custody after traveling to China from France at the end of September. Interpol was not informed of Meng's detention and was forced to ask China about his whereabouts. Shown on TV wearing a plain brown windbreaker and flanked by two bailiffs, Meng appeared older and grayer than during his time as one of the nation's top law enforcement officers.

The Tianjin court said Meng had abused his positions, including as a vice minister of public security and maritime police chief, to curry favor for others in return for bribes. While serving at Interpol, Meng retained that vice minister title. The AP reports there are suspicions he had fallen out of political favor with Xi Jinping, who has come down hard on corruption and perceived disloyalty in a move observers say is calculated to strengthen party control while bringing down potential challengers to his authority. Meng's wife, Grace, has remained in France, where Meng was stationed for Lyon-based Interpol, and has accused Chinese authorities of creating a "fake case" against him for political reasons. (Meng's wife described a chilling phone call she received.)

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