FranceLink

China slams France for granting asylum to ex-Interpol chief’s wife

Grace Meng, whose husband Meng Hongwei faces bribery charges in China, was given protection by French police after alleged abduction bid.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

To support Mediapart subscribe

Beijing said Wednesday France granting asylum to the wife of former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei -- who has been charged in China with accepting bribes -- would be an abuse of its own legal procedures, reports FRANCE 24.

"There is no so-called political persecution," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, days after Grace Meng's lawyer in France said she had been granted asylum.

"If Meng Hongwei's wife wanted to apply for political asylum in France, it would be an abuse of French legal procedures."

Grace Meng, who was given police protection in France after she alleged an abduction attempt at the start of the year, was granted asylum on May 2 along with the couple's two children, their lawyer Emmanuel Marsigny told AFP.

Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.