Meng Hongwei charged with bribery

Meng Hongwei, former vice-minister of public security and Interpol president, has been charged with bribery by Tianjin Municipal People's Procuratorate No 1 Branch, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) on Friday.

The Tianjin Municipal People's Procuratorate No 1 Branch has directed the case to Tianjin Municipal No 1 Intermediate People's Court, and the court hearing will be held at a later date, the SPP said.

According to the indictment, Meng took advantage of his job to gain benefits for others in job promotions and enterprise management, before accepting huge bribes either paid in cash or other property.

Meng, 65, was elected Interpol president, based in Lyon, France in 2016, becoming the first Chinese person to take the post.

Before serving as Interpol president, Meng was vice-minister of public security and head of the China Coast Guard. After taking the post as Interpol president, he kept the position of vice-minister of public security in China.

He resigned in October 2018, when he was placed under investigation by the National Commission of Supervision and Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) for "serious violation of the disciplines and laws".

According to CCDI, he didn't report his personal matters to the Party's organization, resisted Party censorship and didn't implement major decisions made by the CPC Central Committee.

CCDI said he abused public power and used public funds to fund his family's luxurious lifestyle. He also used his position to find a job for his wife and encouraged her to seek benefits, according to CCDI.

"He is subject to severe punishment, because he seriously damaged the Party's image and the State's vital interests, resulting in bad effects," CCDI said in a previous statement.