9 October 2018
Interpol President Meng Hongwei, 64, resigned on Sunday. China’s Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi said on Monday that Meng is being investigated for allegations of bribery. On Saturday, Interpol said Secretary General had sent an official request to China, seeking to clarify the legal status of its president.
Detaining Meng in this way could jeopardize China’s diplomatic relations. Yet their decision to take this path implies that the stakes are high. Meng was appointed vice minister of China’s national police by Zhou Yongkang, China’s former security czar who was imprisoned after Xi Jinping became leader of China. While being the president of Interpol, Meng maintained his position as China’s vice minister of public security.
Earlier this year, Meng had been thrown out of the Public Security Ministry’s Communist Party Committee. This indicates that investigations had started.
Interpol has 192-member nations. It facilitates police agencies to collaborate and share resources through a network of national bureaus. It’s slated to hold its annual general assembly session in Dubai, from Nov, 18-21. Meng, had lived with his wife and two children in France since being elected Interpol president in 2016 for four years.
Interpol said that the president has little influence over the organisation’s day-to-day operations, which are handled by secretary general Jürgen Stock, a German.
The South China Morning Post reported.
