Interpol boss who vanished in China ‘under investigation’

THE CHINESE president of Interpol is under investigation on suspicion of breaking the law, authorities in China said.

The Communist Party’s watchdog for corruption and political disloyalty said that Meng Hongwei, China’s vice minister of public security, is “suspected of violating the law and is currently under the monitoring and investigation” of the country’s new anti-corruption body, the National Supervision Commission.

Mr Meng’s wife has said her husband sent her an image of a knife before he disappeared during a trip to their native China.

Making her first public comments on the mystery surrounding Meng Hongwei’s whereabouts, Grace Meng told reporters in Lyon, France – where Interpol is based – that she thinks the knife was her husband’s way of trying to tell her he was in danger.

She said she has had no further contact with him since the message that was sent on September 25. She said four minutes before Mr Meng shared the image, he sent a message saying “wait for my call”.

Mr Meng’s wife said he had travelled back to China for work.

“His job is very busy,” she said. “We connected every day.”

The Lyon-based international police agency said on Saturday it has used law enforcement channels to inquire with China about Mr Meng’s status.

Mrs Meng would not speculate on what might have happened to him. Asked if she believed that he has been arrested, she said: “In China, what happened, I’m not sure.”

She read a statement during her press conference in Lyon but would not allow reporters to show her face.

She said that she feared for her own safety and the safety of her two children.

The 64-year-old Meng Hongwei was elected president of Interpol in November 2016. His term is due to run until 2020.

A vice minister of public security in China, he had previously served as vice chairman of the national narcotics control commission and as director of the National Counter-Terrorism Office for China.