China’s anti-corruption watchdog sets out details of ‘decadent’ and ‘corrupt’ lifestyle of fallen Interpol chief Meng Hongwei
- A document circulated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection accuses the former Interpol president of using military officers as his personal servants and ‘chasing after lust and pleasure’
- Meng, who disappeared in 2018 during a trip back to China, was jailed for more than 13 years in January after being found guilty of taking US$2m in bribes
The Chinese Communist Party’s top anti-corruption body has published details of the “decadent” and “extravagant” lifestyle that it says former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei led before his downfall.
It is unusual for the authorities to release such details despite the large number of officials who have fallen foul of the watchdog in recent years, and one observer said the move was designed to make an example of him.
Meng served as the Interpol president between 2016 and 2018, when he disappeared on a trip home from the international police agency’s headquarters in France.
He was convicted of accepting bribes totalling 14.5 million yuan (US$2 million) by a court in Tianjin in January this year and jailed for 13½ years. State media reported at the time that he had admitted the charges and would not appeal.
A book listing some of the cases investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China’s top anti-graft body, has been circulating among senior and mid-ranking officials since late last year.
