Interpol chief reported missing during home visit to China

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Interpol chief reported missing during home visit to China

Paris: Interpol's president Meng Hongwei has been reported missing after travelling to his native China last week, French police said on Friday.

Meng's wife contacted police in Lyon, the French city where the international police cooperation agency has its headquarters, after not hearing from him since his departure on September 29, police sources said.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post quoted an unnamed source as saying Meng, 64, was under investigation in China and had been taken away for questioning as soon as he landed there.

Interpol said it was aware of reports in connection with Meng's "alleged disappearance".

"This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China," the agency said in a statement.

French police sources said their investigation was into what is termed in France a "worrying disappearance".

Interpol's main function is to provide a mechanism for police forces in different countries to notify each other of wanted suspects.

Meng has almost 40 years’ experience in criminal justice and policing, and has overseen matters related to legal institutions, narcotics control and counter-terrorism, according to Interpol's website.

Reported missing: Interpol president Meng Hongwei.

Reported missing: Interpol president Meng Hongwei.Credit: AP

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Meng is listed on the website of China's Ministry of Public Security as a vice-minister, but lost his seat on its key Communist Party Committee in April, the South China Morning Post said.

He was named president of Interpol in 2016. Rights groups expressed concern at the time that Beijing might try to use Meng's position at the body to go after dissidents abroad.

Beijing has in the past pressed other countries to arrest and deport back to China citizens it accuses of crimes including corruption and terrorism.

China's Ministry of Public Security could not be reached immediately for comment.

Diplomats say the role of Interpol president is largely ceremonial, with day-to-day work carried out by its secretary general Juergen Stock and his staff.

In July last year, Meng gave a speech on the importance of cracking down on cybercrime which observers said might reflect China's views on the issue.

Police sources said Meng's wife and children remained in Lyon.

Missing president deeply rooted in China's security

Meng's official biography says he was born in 1953 in the northeastern city of Harbin and graduated with a degree in law from prestigious Peking University. He appears to have moved swiftly into the central government in Beijing, acting as an assistant to the public security minister – China's top cop - as well as head of the transportation department.

By 2004, he was a vice minister of public security and that same year became head of Interpol's China branch. He was head or deputy head of branches of the coast guard, and in 2016, he was elected Interpol's president.

What are his duties?

Meng's position as Interpol's president is less hands-on than the organisation's secretary general, but he works out of its headquarters in Lyon, France, and has made frequent appearances at crime prevention gatherings.

According to Interpol's website, in May he delivered a speech in Ireland in which he discussed the changing face of global crime and the need for Interpol to remain above political considerations.

"First, it is obvious that globalisation, virtualisation and high-tech are the new features of crime. Second, crime has become a global security issue. This was not the case in the past," Meng said. He also referred to the global governance structure as "entering a period of change," saying that, "under such circumstances, I hope that we will adhere to our neutral and apolitical positions on major issues."

Despite such statements, rights groups expressed concern that Meng would help further China's agenda of attacking the government's political foes while neutralizing criticism.

Why did he disappear?

Meng's various jobs put him in close contact with Chinese leaders in the security establishment, a sector long synonymous with corruption, opacity and human rights abuses.

While there are no public allegations against him, Meng, a member of the ruling Communist Party, likely worked closely with former security chief and Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang, who is now serving a life sentence for corruption.

Zhou was one of the highest-profile figures caught up in President Xi Jinping's sprawling campaign against graft at all levels of government, military and state industry. Officials under suspicion often disappear into the party's investigatory body, which can hold them for months without releasing information or providing them with legal counsel.

Were there indications something would happen?

Xi has been seeking the return of officials and businesspeople accused of fraud and corruption from abroad, sometimes with the help of Interpol in an arrangement human rights advocates say is prone to abuse.

Since Meng continued to hold positions in the security establishment concurrently with his role as Interpol president, that may have placed him under additional pressure.

Reports from April said Meng had been relieved of his position as a member of the party committee at the Ministry of Public Security, with no explanation given.

That could have been a sign of his declining political fortunes, or simply a prelude to his impending retirement, given that, at 64, he was approaching the age when officials generally begin stepping down from their positions.

Reuters and AP

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