France grants asylum to Interpol ex-president’s family while he’s detained by China

France has granted asylum to the family of Meng Hongwei, the former Interpol president currently detained in China, his wife told The Associated Press on Monday.

Grace Meng’s legal team told the news service that France granted Meng and her two sons refugee status last week.

{mosads}The asylum office didn’t respond to requests for comment from AP, and the French Interior Ministry told the news service it doesn’t comment on individual cases.

“If France hadn’t protected me, I would have been killed ages ago,” Grace Meng said. “It’s a second life for us, me and my children.”

Meng Hongwei disappeared during a trip to China in September 2018. Shortly after, China announced it was holding the former Interpol president on accusations of corruption. He submitted his resignation as president soon afterward. 

Chinese prosecutors indicted Meng Hongwei last week on charges of accepting bribes, accusing him of abusing his positions to “illegally accept cash and property in return for performing favors for others,” according to the AP.

Grace Meng, however, claims her husband is a victim of political prosecution in China.

“This is a political case,” she told the AP, adding that she is continuing to pursue information about the case.