Beijing (AFP) – Fallen former Interpol president Meng Hongwei rose through the ranks of China’s feared public security apparatus before being caught himself in President…
Beijing (AFP) – Fallen former Interpol president Meng Hongwei rose through the ranks of China’s feared public security apparatus before being caught himself in President Xi Jinping’s no-holds-barred campaign against corruption.
The vice public security minister, who went missing after travelling to China last month, resigned as head of the France-based international police organisation on Sunday after Chinese authorities announced he was under investigation.
During Xi’s six-year tenure, over a million officials have been punished in an anti-corruption crusade that critics say has also served as a way to root out the president’s political enemies.
According to a statement released Monday by China’s Ministry of Public Security, Meng is suspected of accepting bribes and is under investigation by the country’s anti-corruption agency.
In particular, the country’s public security bureau links Meng’s detention to a broader initiative to “completely remove the pernicious influence” of Zhou Yongkang, who led China’s domestic security sector until 2014, when he was sentenced to life in prison under corruption charges.
That does not bode well for Meng, who was appointed vice security minister by Zhou in 2004.
