China sentences ex-Interpol chief to 13 years in jail

Meng Hongwei has admitted to taking more than $2m in bribes.

A former Interpol chief accused of bribery was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in jail by a Chinese court on Tuesday.

Meng Hongwei, who was the first Chinese head of Interpol, vanished on a trip back to the country from France in September 2018.

China later confirmed he had been detained as part of President Xi Jinping’s drive against corruption. Meng has admitted to taking more than $2m (£1.6m) in bribes.

The 56-year-old was also ordered by the Tianjin No 1 Intermediate People’s Court to pay a fine of two million yuan ($289,540; £222,711).

The court statement said Meng would not appeal against the verdict.

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Expelled and stripped of all positions

Meng disappeared in September 2018 during a visit to China from France, where international policing agency Interpol is based.

He was scheduled to serve as head of Interpol until 2020, but the organisation said he resigned as president days after his wife reported him as missing.