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BEIJING (AP) – Chinese authorities have struggled to contain the confusion over the former president of Interpol's disappearance on his return to China, said Monday that he was making the #################################################################### 39; subject to judicial investigation for corruption and other crimes.
The announcement made by the government did little to address concerns raised about the risks of appointing Chinese officials to senior management positions in international organizations. On Monday, interim Interpol president told The Associated Press that the agency had not been informed in advance of the Chinese investigation on Meng Hongwei. Vice Minister of Public Security of China.
On Sunday, Meng's wife launched a bold public appeal from France to the international community to help locate her husband. The appeal – particularly unusual for senior Chinese officials – casts unwanted light on extrajudicial detentions that have increasingly trapped dissidents and officials allegedly corrupt or disloyal under President Xi Jinping's authoritarian rule.
Sign of the urgent and perhaps unforeseen nature of the investigation, the Ministry of Public Security announced in an announcement that the highest officials of the ministry would have met Monday morning to discuss the case of Meng. The announcement revealed that Meng was under investigation for accepting bribes and other crimes attributable to his "will".
"We should deeply acknowledge the serious damage caused by the alleged bribes and alleged violations of the law committed by Meng Hongwei and the cause of public security, and learn from this lesson," said Leng. announcement of the meeting chaired by Minister Zhao Lezhi. .
Meng is the last high-ranking official to have been a victim of widespread Communist Party repression for corruption and perceived disloyalty. Most officials investigated by the anti-corruption authorities are quietly questioned, cut off from contact with their family and forbidden to consult a lawyer, sometimes for months.
But this is not how 64-year-old Meng suffered an unexplained disappearance as he was returning home to China last month, prompting the French police to open an investigation. The French government and Interpol have also made public their concerns in recent days.
Late on Sunday night, China announced that Meng was under the custody of the party investigators and shortly thereafter, Interpol announced that Meng had resigned from his post as president of the international police agency. Meng could not be reached for comment.
The revelation that the Chinese authorities would have the audacity to forcibly remove even a senior public security official of international stature has cast a shadow over the image that Beijing has sought to cultivate as a country. modern with the rule of law.
Willy Lam, a Chinese political expert at China's University of Hong Kong, said Meng's case showed that Chinese officials, wherever they are, had to obey the Communist Party first and foremost. "This puts China's internal political struggle above international standards of the rule of law," Lam said.
Rights groups had criticized Meng's appointment as head of Interpol in 2016. They stressed the lack of transparency of the Chinese judicial system and the risk that this position would be misused to attack political opponents. of Beijing – using the Red Notices of the Police Group to prosecute political opponents. economic fugitives, for example.
"By placing him in the post of Interpol leader, China hoped to show his determination to rule by right," said Zhang Lifan, an independent political analyst. "But now, the spokesman is in trouble and this has dealt a blow to the image of China."
Zhang explained that the random way in which the case was disclosed suggested that the authorities acted as if they were in a state of emergency of some kind. "China has done this in an unconventional way without worrying about its image. It's rather an insult to Interpol, "he said.
Interpol Interim President Kim Jong Yang said he was not informed of his leader's investigation. "I find it unfortunate that the senior executive of the organization had to go out of this way and we were not informed of what was happening in advance," said Kim in an interview telephone.
"We still do not have enough information about what is happening (with Meng) or about the fact that it has a connection with China's domestic politics," he added.
Monday's statement on the website of the Ministry of Public Security did not provide any details about the bribes Meng allegedly took or the other crimes he is charged with, but suggested that he should also in danger for political mistakes.
The officials present at the meeting were informed that they "must always maintain the political quality of absolute loyalty to the party," the statement said.
Questions on Meng's case were dominated by a regular briefing organized by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday. Spokesperson Lu Kang rejected the suggestion that China's treatment of the Meng investigation would undermine the image of the country abroad, saying it reflected Beijing's determination to fight corruption .
"This shows the strong will of the Chinese government to fight corruption and crime," said Lu. "It has also been very clear that this case fully demonstrates that the party is firm in the fight against corruption."
However, Lu did not respond directly to the question of whether Meng would be officially arrested or allowed to hire a lawyer or receive a visit from his wife.
Grace Meng, his wife, on Sunday launched a passionate call for help to put her husband safe. She said that she thought she had sent an image of a knife before her disappearance to China to warn her that he was in danger.
She committed herself to seeking "the truth, justice and responsibility of history" for the sake of her husband and young children and "for all women and children, so that their husbands and fathers do not disappear anymore ".
The emotional appeal was an extremely unusual move for the wife of a senior Chinese official, given the risk that public lobbying could turn around and result in a heavier sentence. Many do not have the opportunity to express themselves, even if they wish: the spouses of the officials under investigation, if they are in China, would probably be under surveillance 24 hours a day, Lam said.
"Ms. Meng's terrible allegations offer the world a rare opportunity to look at how court proceedings are handled in China," Lam said.
"This is not a beautiful picture."
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