Meng Hongwei’s wife says she received a threatening phone call from a man speaking Chinese one week after her husband went missing.
BEIJING (AP) — China is “not aware of the situation” surrounding reports that the wife of the detained Chinese former president of Interpol has been threatened, a foreign ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
However, Lu Kang told reporters that it would be “natural” for Chinese consular officials to contact the wife of Meng Hongwei, who vanished after traveling to China late last month from France, where Interpol is headquartered.
Days later, China said Meng was under investigation for graft and possibly other crimes. His wife, Grace Meng, said she received a phone call from a man speaking Chinese who told her that a pair of “work teams” had been dispatched “just for you.”
Grace Meng has been placed under French police protection in the city of Lyon while they investigate whether Chinese agents had indeed been sent to possibly pose harm to her.
Responding to a question about Meng Hongwei at a daily briefing, Lu said “relevant people should not attempt to make excuses for their corrupted and criminal acts” by “slandering” the government of President Xi Jinping, who has waged a wide-ranging and politically charged campaign against graft.
