China: more people questioned after the fall of the former Interpol leader

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security announced on Wednesday that it would conduct new investigations on its own ranks after the decision to prosecute former Interpol leader, Meng Hongwei, and warned that disloyalty towards the Communist Party would not be tolerated.

China had announced Wednesday earlier that an investigation had revealed that Meng had spent "sumptuous" sums, abused his power, refused to follow party decisions, and that he had been expelled from the party and dismissed from his position as Deputy Minister of Public Safety.

Last October, Interpol, the global police coordination agency based in France, said Meng had resigned as president a few days after his wife reported his disappearance after returning to China.

In a statement issued Wednesday following an internal meeting, the Ministry of Public Security said that Meng was "fully to blame" for the decision to expel him from the party and sack him.

"Acting on the loyalty and sincerity of the parties, it is absolutely forbidden to duplicate, to openly agree but to oppose in secret, to double-head, to lead a double life or to make political escalation "It said.

"It is absolutely forbidden to make decisions without permission, to do or say what you want."

Although the statement does not provide any details, the party's ongoing anti-corruption campaign, backed by President Xi Jinping, is increasingly interested in people who, in his view, are unfair to the party or contest the decision. from the highest authorities.

China has always denied that its war against corruption was a political maneuver or the removal of Xi by his enemies. Xi told an audience in Seattle in 2015 that the anti-corruption fight was a House of Cards-style power game, referring to Netflix's US political drama.

The ministry said it was necessary to "completely root out the pernicious influence of Meng Hongwei" and that there would be new investigations of the others. "For the officials of the Ministry of Public Security related to the case of Meng Hongwei, whether they are high or low, no matter who is involved, regardless of their position, all must be seriously treated in accordance with the law and discipline . "

The government announced its intention to sue Meng after Xi's return from a state visit to France, where Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of human rights in China and some specific cases, said an official of the French presidency.

It has not been possible to contact Meng for his comments since his detention, and it is unclear when he was allowed to hire a lawyer.

Meng's wife, Grace Meng, said on French television Sunday that she had written to Macron before Xi's trip, seeking help to protect their "basic rights."

Meng is certain to be found guilty when his case is finally tried, the courts being controlled by the party and not challenging his charges.

Meng became president of the global police cooperation agency at the end of 2016 as China expanded its efforts to secure leadership positions in international organizations.

His appointment then sparked the concern of human rights groups who feared that Beijing would seek to take advantage of its position to pursue dissidents abroad.