China says former Interpol chief has confessed in bribery case

Former Interpol president Meng Hongwei confessed to accepting more than $2 million US 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 assures a conviction, although it isn't immediately clear when a verdict and sentence will be handed down. Admitting guilt and expressing regret can result in slightly lighter punishment, although China has been quick to hand out life sentences as it cracks down on corruption and political disloyalty under a campaign run directly by the president and head of the ruling Communist Party, Xi Jinping.

Meng, who was elected president of the international police organization in 2016, disappeared into custody while visiting 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.

The Tianjin court said Meng had abused his positions, including as a vice minister of public security and maritime police chief, to curry favour for others in return for bribes.

Meng, 65, was shown on television wearing a plain brown windbreaker and flanked by two bailiffs. He appeared older and greyer than during his time as one of the nation's top law enforcement officers. He has already been fired from his positions and expelled from the Communist Party.

While serving at Interpol, Meng retained his title as vice minister of public security.

Had said charges were politically motivated

There are suspicions he fell out of political favour with Xi, who has come down hard on corruption and perceived disloyalty in what observers say is a campaign 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 the Lyon-based Interpol, and has accused Chinese authorities of creating a "fake case" against him for political reasons.

On Thursday, Grace Meng questioned whether Meng was even alive, saying she was not certain the figure who appeared on TV was her husband.

"I love him, trust him, respect him and am proud of him," she told The Associated Press. "No matter how they insult him or frame him, they can't change the facts: He is worthy of his motherland, worthy of police honour, and worthy of the people who love him.

"The international community will know the truth," she said.

South Korea's Kim Jong-yang took over from Meng as Interim president on an interim basis amid the crisis, and then was elected in November to serve the final two years of what would have been the end of Meng's term.