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Interpol has asked China to provide official "clarifications" on the whereabouts of its police chief who disappeared on Saturday after reports that he was arrested for interrogation upon his arrival in his country. # 39; origin.
Beijing has been silent about the mysterious disappearance of Meng Hongwei, who was last seen leaving for China at the end of September from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, in south-eastern France. France, told AFP a source close to the investigation.
His wife has since reported his disappearance.
"Interpol asked the Chinese authorities for clarification on the status of Interpol's president, Meng Hongwei," said Jurgen Stock, secretary-general of the international police, in a statement.
"The Interpol General Secretariat looks forward to an official response from the Chinese authorities to address the concerns about the well-being of the president."
This is the latest high-profile disappearance in China, where a number of senior officials, billionaire business magnates and even a celebrity have disappeared for weeks or months.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded to a request for comment from AFP.
But news of his absence was quickly followed by speculation that 64-year-old Meng, who is also deputy minister of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, had been swept away by Beijing's secret anti-corruption campaign.
Citing an anonymous source, the South China Morning Post said the country's disciplinary commission authorities seized Meng upon his arrival in Beijing.
The newly established China National Supervisory Commission has extensive powers to investigate the country's officials with few transparency requirements.
Although the law requires the authorities to inform family members of detention, it provides exceptions for cases involving national security, terrorism or the destruction of evidence or the manipulation of witnesses.
We know that people disappeared in the custody of the commission for weeks, even months, without a word.
– anti Corruption? –
The reason why Meng – the first Chinese president of Interpol – would be under investigation is not clear.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has chaired a popular anti-corruption campaign since coming to power in 2012, which has punished more than a million civil servants, critics comparing it to a political purge.
Meng has climbed the ladder of the country's national security apparatus under the leadership of Zhou Yongkang, a rival of Xi and the highest official to be indicted for bribery.
Zhou – who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 – was later charged with conspiring to seize power from the state and the authorities continued their efforts to root out his influence.
He appointed Meng Vice Minister of Security in 2004.
In the course of his duties, Meng has been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including the leadership of the country's counter-terrorism division, tasked with responding to several major incidents in Xinjiang's torn region in west of China.
Critics of Meng's election to the presidency of Interpol, in 2016, said he would use this post to help China target dissidents abroad under the pretext of prosecuting corrupt officials.
Interpol downplayed these concerns, claiming that the president had little influence over the day-to-day operations of the organization, which are managed by Stock Secretary General, a German.
The Chinese operation to track down corrupt officials abroad, known as Operation Fox Hunt, led to allegations that Chinese police officers were secretly operating on their soil without the approval or the consent of the local authorities.
According to the Interpol website, China currently has 44 outstanding Red Notices, mostly related to killings, intentional injuries and drug trafficking.
During Meng's term, Interpol issued a red notice to fugitive Chinese billionaire Constable Guo Wengui, which threatened to expose corruption at the country's highest levels.
Authorities in China and Hong Kong have accused Guo, who resides in the United States, of laundering billions of dollars, among other crimes.
