China expels ex-Interpol president from public office, party
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this July 4, 2017, file photo, Interpol President Meng Hongwei delivers his opening address at the Interpol World Congress, in Singapore. China has expelled former Interpol chief Meng from public office and the ruling Communist Party. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
China has expelled former Interpol President Meng Hongwei from public office and the ruling Communist Party as he awaits trial on corruption charges.
Meng was elected Interpol president in 2016, but his four-year mandate was cut short when he was detained without notice by Chinese authorities last October during a visit to China from Interpol headquarters in France.
At the time, Meng was also one of China's vice ministers of public security.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The party's disciplinary committee said Wednesday that an investigation found Meng guilty of serious legal violations and that he had failed to abide by party principles and implement the party's decisions.
A party statement said Meng abused his power to satisfy his family's "extravagant lifestyle," indulging his wife's use of his authority for personal benefit.