The man who heads the international police organization has reportedly gone missing after a trip to China
LYON, France — The man who heads the international police organization has reportedly gone missing after a trip to China.
The 64-year-old President of Interpol, Meng Hongwei was reported missing by his wife, who reportedly told the police in Lyon that she had not heard from him since he left Lyon.
The French police confirmed that the public prosecutor in Lyon, where the Interpol is headquartered, is handling the case of Hongwei’s disappearance.
Hongwei was reportedly last seen leaving for his native China from Lyon, France, at the end of September.
However, having not heard from him since September 29, on Thursday night, Hongwei’s wife alerted authorities.
According to reports, the Interpol president’s wife and children have not been able to contact him or locate his whereabouts.
A senior French law enforcement official said that so far, it is not clear whether he was in China at the time of his disappearance, but Hongwei was not in France when he was last seen.
After the French police confirmed the investigation, Interpol said in a statement, «Interpol is aware of media reports in connection with the alleged disappearance of Interpol President Meng Hongwei. This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China. Interpol’s General Secretariat headquarters will not comment further.»
With almost 40 years of experience in criminal justice and policing, Hongwei was elected as the president of Interpol in November 2016.
He became the first Chinese national to head the International Criminal Police Organization in its 95-year history, which serves as the international organization facilitating international police cooperation.
Hongwei’s term as Interpol’s chief is due to run until 2020 and he was also China’s vice minister for public security, and has previously served as head of China’s counter-terrorism office, drugs control commission, and coast guard.
He was also a former head of Interpol China.
When he was elected as the president two years back, several groups, including human rights campaigners were shocked due to Hongwei’s close links to the Chinese government.
At the time, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International had voiced fears that China could look to exploit his position to pursue dissidents abroad.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, Hongwei arrived in China but was «taken away» for questioning by Chinese authorities upon arrival.
The report noted that the reason for the investigation into Hongwei and his current whereabouts are not known.
The report also pointed out that while Hongwei is listed on the website of China’s Ministry of Public Security as a vice minister, he lost his seat on its key Communist Party Committee in April.
