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PARIS – French authorities said on Friday that they had opened an investigation after Interpol 's Chinese president, Meng Hongwei, was reported missing during a trip to China.
Mr. Meng's wife reported her disappearance after she did not hear from her during her trip to China last month, according to a senior official close to the open investigation. by the police in Lyon, the French city center of Interpol. his seat.
The official, who was anxious to remain anonymous and was not allowed to publicly comment on the case, said that Meng's wife went to the Lyon police on Friday night and explained that she had heard from her husband after arriving in China.
The official could not specify the exact date of Mr. Meng's departure from France or his arrival in China.
In a statement, Interpol, the world's leading police co-operation organization, said it was aware of reports from the media about Meng's alleged disappearance. "This is an issue that concerns competent authorities in France and China," the statement said, adding that Interpol 's secretary general, rather than its chairman, was responsible for the day – to – day operation of the company. organization.
"The headquarters of the general secretariat of Interpol will no longer comment," the statement said.
Mr. Meng, 64, remained deputy minister of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security while he was Interpol's president, and a page describing his background and his activities remained on the ministry's website on Friday. China is spending a week holiday at the national holiday and calls to the ministry's press services on Friday night have not been taken into account.
In April, the ministry revealed that Mr. Meng was no longer a member of the Communist Party committee charged with overseeing the ministry, a step that provoked speculation on Chinese websites overseas that might to be in danger.
But China's official media did not charge Mr. Meng, and even in August he continued to receive official visitors to Beijing. After the spread of Mr. Meng's disappearance, the South China Morning Post, an English-language newspaper published in Hong Kong, cited an unidentified source in which he was allegedly taken after arriving in China and is the subject of 'investigation.
Since President Xi Jinping became head of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, he has led an intense campaign against bribes and official embezzlement, sometimes using it to jail rivals and centralize the power. This year, China has set up a corruption investigation service with extensive powers to secretly hold suspected wrongdoers.
The Chinese authorities under investigation often disappear for weeks or even months before the government tells them anything.
Mr. Meng was elected President of Interpol in 2016 and is expected to resign from his position in 2020. His appointment controversy, with critics claiming that it would help China issue international arrest warrants in order to target its political enemies.
According to critics, China has increasingly resorted to official channels like Interpol and the United Nations to silence the voices of dissidents. abroad.
Previously, Mr. Meng was head of the traffic control department of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and deputy director of Ocean Administration of China.
Aurélien Breeden reported from Paris and Chris Buckley from Beijing.
Follow Aurelien Breeden @aurelienbrd and Chris Buckley @ChuBailiang on Twitter.
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