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Chinese Prosecutors Say Referred Case of Ex-Interpol Chief Meng to Court

BEIJING (Sputnik) - The prosecutor's office of the Chinese city of Tianjin said on Friday that it had referred the case of Meng Hongwei, a former Interpol president and the country's ex-vice-minister of public security, to court following the completion of the preliminary investigation into abuse of office and bribery.
Sputnik

"The People's Prosecutor's Office has handed over the indictment based on the results of the preliminary investigation to the First People's Court … of Tianjin… In accordance with law, the prosecutor's office has notified defendant Meng Hongwei of his procedural rights, questioned him and heard the position of his defence," the office said.

The indictment, meanwhile, maintains that Meng was misusing his public office in personal interests and the interests of third parties for several years, received expensive gifts and took large sums of money.

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Meng, the then-head of the Interpol, went missing in September during his trip to China.

Chinese media later reported that Meng was taken for questioning soon after arriving in the country. The Chinese Public Security Ministry officially announced in October that Meng was suspected of corruption and violating law. Since then, Meng, who promptly resigned from his Interpol position, was arrested in his native China, pending a corruption investigation. He was also expelled from the ruling Communist Party and from public office.

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