Beijing detains ex-Interpol chief
Meng’s wife voices fears after ‘knife emoji’
BEIJING: Chinese authorities have acknowledged that they are detaining former Interpol President Meng Hongwei, who went missing after travelling to China last month.
China’s ruling Communist Party said in a one-line statement on Sunday evening that Mr Meng, a senior party member, was “under investigation by the National Supervision Commission for alleged violations of laws”. The statement did not detail the allegations.
BEIJING: The Chinese head of Interpol resigned as Beijing announced yesterday he was under investigation for allegedly breaking domestic law, after his wife had voiced concerns for his life following his disappearance.
China had been tight-lipped about the fate of Meng Hongwei, who is also vice minister for public security, since French officials disclosed on Friday that he had been reported missing after leaving France for China last month.
His case could tarnish Beijing’s efforts to gain leadership posts in international organisations, but it is also a black eye for France-based Interpol, which is tasked with finding missing people, analysts say.
His wife, Grace, told reporters in Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered, that she became immediately concerned after receiving a text message from her husband with a knife emoji.
China’s National Supervisory Commission, which handles corruption cases involving public servants, broke the official silence early yesterday, saying in a one-line statement that Mr Meng “is currently under investigation on suspicion of violating the law”.
Soon after, Interpol said it had received Mr Meng’s resignation “with immediate effect”.
It is the latest high-profile disappearance in China, where a number of top government officials, billionaire business magnates and even an A-list celebrity have vanished for weeks or months at a time.
When — or if — they reappear, it is often in court.
Mr Meng, the first Chinese president of Interpol, was last heard from on September 25 as he left Lyon.
Interpol’s secretary general Juergen Stock, who oversees day-to-day operations, said on Saturday the agency was seeking “clarification” on his whereabouts.
Mr Meng was appointed in 2016, despite concerns from human rights groups, giving Chinese President Xi Jinping a win in his bid to paint the communist-led country as a responsible player in global affairs.
But his disappearance could be a setback for China.
“Any international organisation should think twice going forward before considering a Chinese candidate to be its head,” Bonnie Glaser, senior Asia adviser at Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies said.
Mr Meng had lived with his wife and two children in France since 2016.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Mr Meng’s wife Grace said she had received a message from his phone containing a knife emoji before his disappearance.
That day, she said he sent a message telling her to “wait for my call”, before sending the emoji signifying danger.
“This matter belongs to the international community,” she told a press conference with her back turned to the cameras out of fear for her safety.
“I’m not sure what has happened to him,” she said.
China’s recently established National Supervisory Commission holds sweeping powers to investigate public servants, with few requirements for transparency.
Although the commission did not detail the allegations against Mr Meng, its mandate is to probe corruption cases as part of Mr Xi’s anti-graft campaign.
Some critics of the effort — which has punished more than one million officials — say it also functions as a tool for Mr Xi to eliminate his political rivals.
Mr Meng rose through the ranks of the country’s domestic security apparatus when it was under the leadership of Zhou Yongkang, a rival to Mr Xi and the highestranking official to be brought down on corruption charges.
Zhou — who was jailed for life in 2014 — was subsequently accused of conspiring to seize state power.
He appointed Mr Meng as vice security minister back in 2004.
In that role, Mr Meng had been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including the country’s counter-terrorism division, and was in charge of the response to several major incidents in China’s fractious western region of Xinjiang.
Critics of Mr Meng’s rise to Interpol’s presidency said he would use the position to help China target dissidents abroad.
Interpol has downplayed the concerns, saying the president has very little influence over the organisation’s day-to-day operations.