A Chinese court has sentenced former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei to 13 years and six months in prison on graft and other charges.

The Tianjin First Intermediate People’s Court also fined Meng, a former vice minister of public security in China, two million yuan (290,000 dollars) on Tuesday for receiving bribes and abuse of official positions.

Meng, who admitted his guilt in June last year, said he would not appeal against the ruling, according to the court’s online statement.

Meng left Lyon, France - where Interpol is headquartered - in September 2018, prompting a media fanfare about his disappearance. A month later, China’s anti-corruption watchdog, the National Supervisory Commission, said he was under probe on suspicion of violating the law.

Soon after the watchdog’s announcement, Interpol said it had received Meng’s resignation with immediate effect, and that the body would elect a new president at its general assembly next month.

The 65-year-old has lived with his wife and two children in France since he was elected Interpol president in 2016.

Founded in 1923, the Interpol acts as a network linking the law enforcement agencies of its members but does not possess agents of its own with powers of arrest.