Wife Of Ex-Interpol Chief Meng Seeks Asylum In France - Reports

Fakhir Rizvi Published January 18, 2019 | 09:44 PM

The wife of former Interpol President Meng Hongwei, who is under bribery investigation in China, has requested asylum in France, media reported on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2019) The wife of former Interpol President Meng Hongwei, who is under bribery investigation in China, has requested asylum in France, media reported on Friday.

Meng Grace and her children live in Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered. Shortly after her husband disappeared and then news broke out about bribery investigation opened against him in China, Meng complained that she started receiving threatening telephone messages.

"I need the French authorities to protect me, help me and my children," Meng said, as quoted by the France Inter radio station.

The woman admitted that she feared that she might be kidnapped.

"I receive strange phone calls.

[Someone] even damaged my car. A woman and a man of Chinese appearance followed me to the hotel," she added.

Meng, the then-head of the Interpol, went missing in September during his trip to China. His spouse went to the police to signal his disappearance, which led to a probe being launched into the case by the French authorities. Chinese media later reported that Meng, who also served as the Chinese deputy public security minister, was taken for interrogation soon after landing in the country. In October, the Chinese Public Security Ministry announced that the official was under investigation on suspicion of bribe-taking and law violations.