Interpol chief resigns, but his whereabouts remain unknown
Interpol president Meng Hongwei is suspected of violating the law in China. Photo: Getty
Interpol says it has received the resignation of Meng Hongwei, the Chinese president of the international police organisation who has been missing for a week.
Interpol said in a statement that Mr Meng’s resignation would take effect immediately.
The announcement came shortly after China’s top anti-corruption body said Mr Meng was being investigated, ending days of speculation about his whereabouts but still leaving many questions unanswered.
In a brief statement on its website, the Chinese National Supervisory Committee said only that Mr Meng was suspected of breaking the law and was under “supervision”, a euphemism for being held in detention.
Mr Meng’s family lost touch with him after he travelled from France, where Interpol is based, to China.
Mr Meng’s wife, Grace, has said her husband sent her an image of a knife before he disappeared. She told reporters in Lyon that she thought the knife was her husband’s way of trying to tell her he was in danger.
She said she had had no contact with him since that message on September 25. Four minutes before Mr Meng shared the image, he sent a message saying “wait for my call”, she said.
Grace Meng said her husband had travelled back to China for work.
“His job is very busy,” she said. “We connected every day.”
She refused to speculate on what might have happened to her husband.
She read a statement to reporters in Lyon but would not allow them to show her face, saying she feared for her own safety and the safety of her two children.
Grace Meng told reporters she was too scared to show her face. Photo: AAP
On Friday, French prosecutors said they had launched an investigation into Mr Meng’s disappearance.
The next day, Interpol formally requested that China notify of Mr Meng’s whereabouts.
Mr Meng is also a vice minister of public security in China. He was elected president of Interpol in 2016 and was due to serve until 2020, according to the organisation’s website.
It was unclear how Mr Meng, the first Chinese national to lead Interpol, could have fallen foul of the Chinese authorities.
His case draws parallels with other high-profile detentions in China, where President Xi Jinping has launched a massive anti-corruption drive since taking office five years ago.
The campaign has since punished more than 1 million officials of varying stature. They are often suddenly detained without warning, only to emerge later in detention.
It is highly irregular, however, for the head of an international organisation of the size and distinction of Interpol to disappear.
Meng’s case follows another major disappearance in China. Actor Fan Bingbing was out of the public eye for months until it was revealed last week that she had been under investigation by tax authorities.
Interpol’s senior vice president Kim Jong Yang of South Korea will become acting president, pending the election of a successor.
-with AAP