AP Exclusive: Ex-Interpol chief's wife gets asylum in France

The wife of Meng Hongwei, the former Interpol president jailed in China for what she believes are political reasons, said Monday that France has saved her life and the lives of their two young boys by granting her asylum request.

The French government office that rules on asylum requests rendered its decision last week, granting her refugee status, Grace Meng's legal team said.

The asylum office didn't respond to Associated Press contacts by phone and email, and the French Interior Ministry said it doesn't comment on individual cases.

Grace Meng told the AP that the guarantee of being able to stay in France, where Meng Hongwei was stationed with Interpol, offers her family greater security while she pursues her struggle to get information from China about her husband's whereabouts and even whether he is still alive.

"If France hadn't protected me, I would have been killed ages ago," she said. "It's a second life for us, me and my children."
Last week, Chinese prosecutors indicted Meng Hongwei on charges of accepting bribes, accusing him of abusing his positions to "illegally accept cash and property in return for performing favors for others."