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- Jul 26, 2012
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A Chinese court has jailed the former head of Interpol for 13-and-a-half years for corruption, in a case that has raised concerns about Beijing’s influence on global organisations.
Meng Hongwei held the position for two years from November 2016 until his sudden disappearance in October 2018 while on a trip to China. Days later, he officially resigned. Chinese state media later confirmed that he had been arrested on graft charges.
The 66-year-old was the first Chinese national to be president of Interpol, the body with headquarters in France that facilitates international police force co-ordination and arrest requests.
At the time of Meng’s disappearance Human Rights Watch said that the case “raised concerns at global institutions where high-level Chinese officials already have been installed in powerful positions” because “any government official is vulnerable” to a graft probe.
The court in Tianjin city near Beijing said that Meng had abused his power as a high-ranking official in China’s public security ministry for personal gain, taking more than Rmb14m ($2m) in bribes and kickbacks, according to a post on its website.
The verdict did not specifically mention Meng’s Interpol role, but it said that he had used his position in other countries to “seek improper profits” for others.
The court statement said Meng accepted the judgment and would not appeal. It was not possible to contact him for comment.
Meng’s wife, Grace Meng, who has been granted political asylum in France, has accused Interpol of being complicit in Beijing’s treatment of her husband.
She has launched legal proceedings against the organisation at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, alleging that Interpol breached obligations to her family by failing to challenge Beijing, accusations that the organisation has said are “baseless”.
Beijing maintains that Meng’s arrest was an internal affair handled according to Chinese law.
China’s internal security apparatus has been a focus of President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign, after the downfall of former security tsar Zhou Yongkang, a retired member of the all powerful politburo Standing Committee.
Mr Xi’s war on graft has become increasingly international as it has progressed, with Beijing pressing countries to return fugitives who have fled China.
Most Western nations have resisted signing extradition agreements with China, citing concerns about the country’s opaque legal process and accusations of abuses of justice in its courts.
Source: The Financial Times
Meng Hongwei held the position for two years from November 2016 until his sudden disappearance in October 2018 while on a trip to China. Days later, he officially resigned. Chinese state media later confirmed that he had been arrested on graft charges.
The 66-year-old was the first Chinese national to be president of Interpol, the body with headquarters in France that facilitates international police force co-ordination and arrest requests.
At the time of Meng’s disappearance Human Rights Watch said that the case “raised concerns at global institutions where high-level Chinese officials already have been installed in powerful positions” because “any government official is vulnerable” to a graft probe.
The court in Tianjin city near Beijing said that Meng had abused his power as a high-ranking official in China’s public security ministry for personal gain, taking more than Rmb14m ($2m) in bribes and kickbacks, according to a post on its website.
The verdict did not specifically mention Meng’s Interpol role, but it said that he had used his position in other countries to “seek improper profits” for others.
The court statement said Meng accepted the judgment and would not appeal. It was not possible to contact him for comment.
Meng’s wife, Grace Meng, who has been granted political asylum in France, has accused Interpol of being complicit in Beijing’s treatment of her husband.
She has launched legal proceedings against the organisation at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, alleging that Interpol breached obligations to her family by failing to challenge Beijing, accusations that the organisation has said are “baseless”.
Beijing maintains that Meng’s arrest was an internal affair handled according to Chinese law.
China’s internal security apparatus has been a focus of President Xi Jinping’s anti-graft campaign, after the downfall of former security tsar Zhou Yongkang, a retired member of the all powerful politburo Standing Committee.
Mr Xi’s war on graft has become increasingly international as it has progressed, with Beijing pressing countries to return fugitives who have fled China.
Most Western nations have resisted signing extradition agreements with China, citing concerns about the country’s opaque legal process and accusations of abuses of justice in its courts.
Source: The Financial Times
