Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister of public security and chairman of Interpol, was reportedly questioned by the CCP's disciplinary inspection department after returning to China.(China News Service)
(Hong Kong News) Meng Hongwei, Vice Minister of Public Security of China and Chairman of Interpol, disappeared at the end of September. His wife has reported the case in France.Sources said Meng Hongwei was under investigation in China.
The English-language South China Morning Post quoted sources as saying that the 64-year-old Meng Hongwei returned to China last week and was taken for questioning by the CCP’s disciplinary inspection department as soon as he landed.It is not yet known why he is being investigated or where he is being detained.
Meng Hongwei, who lives with his family in Lyon, France, went to China on September 29 and lost contact with his family.His wife told the French police that Meng Hongwei's whereabouts were missing after his return to China and he could not be contacted.French police said they had launched a search operation after receiving a report from Meng Hongwei's wife.
Interpol said it had learned of Meng Hongwei's disappearance and that the matter was being handled by relevant departments in France and China.Regarding Meng Hongwei's itinerary during his stay in China and why his wife reported the case only now, Interpol had not provided more information before the deadline of this newspaper.
Meng Hongwei is the Vice Minister of Public Security of China.In November 2016, he was elected president of Interpol for a four-year term until 2020.He is also the first chairman from China since the establishment of Interpol.Meng Hongwei's election has raised concerns among human rights defenders and scholars about the impartiality of international organisations, fearing that Meng Hongwei may abuse his power to allow Chinese authorities to track the movements of overseas political dissidents.
It is reported that Meng Hongwei was promoted to Vice Minister of Public Security as early as April 2004.In April this year, Xinhuanet reported that the update of the Ministry of Public Security's leadership information column showed that Meng Hongwei, the vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security of the Communist Party of China, no longer served as a member of the Ministry of Public Security's party committee.
Meng Hongwei was also removed from his positions as deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration and director of the Coast Guard in December last year.This series of dismissals has sparked speculation about his official career.
In September 2017, Meng Hongwei delivered a speech at the 86th Interpol General Assembly held in Beijing to discuss how to fight cybercrime through international cooperation.
