Interpol president suspected of criminal activity, says Beijing
Chinese authorities said they were investigating Meng Hongwei, after his wife revealed he had sent a knife emoji before his arrest.
Chinese authorities said today they were investigating Interpol president Meng Hongwei for bribery, hours after his wife revealed he had sent an emoji of a knife before his arrest in China.
In a statement indicating he was guilty of political transgressions, a government website said Mr Meng was being investigated due to his own “wilfulness and for bringing trouble upon himself”.
“The investigation against Meng Hongwei’s taking and giving bribes and suspected violations of law is very timely, absolutely correct and rather wise,” China’s Ministry of Public Security said.
The image signalling danger, from a text dated September 25, was released by Grace Meng, who is living in France with her children under police protection.
The knife emoji was accompanied by a message from Mr Meng to his wife saying “wait for my call”.
Speaking in France, Ms Meng said she feared for her husband’s life following his arrest in China as Interpol announced he had resigned from the post as president.
Mr Meng, who had been a senior public security official in China for many years, was appointed as the president of Interpol in 2016, the first mainland Chinese to hold the role.
Ms Meng did not want her face shown, opting to be photographed from behind.
It now appears that Mr Meng, who was based at Interpol headquarters in Lyons, was arrested as soon as he arrived in China for a visit.
The South China Morning Post reported there was a meeting of China’s top Communist Party committee on September 30 — the day before China celebrated a week-long national holiday.
During the meeting, the Post reported, China’s State Councillor and Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi relayed details of talks held the day before involving President Xi Jinping’s chief of staff, Ding Xuexiang. “Ding was said to have urged officials within the party headquarters and the central government to remain vigilant to the threat of corruption,” it reported.
Mr Xi has conducted a crack down on corruption in China since taking over as leader in late 2012. Thousands of officials have been punished and many arrested.
Last week it was announced that China’s highest paid actress, Fan Bingbing, would have to pay fines and back taxes of $US130 million for tax evasion, or risk being imprisoned. The news came after she disappeared from view for three months. Fan made a grovelling apology in a message to her followers on social media but still has not been seen in public since being put into what appears to be house detention.
Mr Meng’s shock arrest has not only raised questions about his future but also raises questions about issues around domestic pressures on Chinese officials being appointed to international bodies such as Interpol.
He was due to remain as Interpol president until 2020. He was made vice minister of national police in China 2004 under the now disgraced former security tsar Zhou Yongkang.
Mr Meng lost his position on the public security ministry’s party committee earlier this year, a move which raised speculation about his political future.
Chinese sources say that the stakes behind his arrest must be high with the government knowing that his arrest would prompt high-level international scrutiny.
Mr Meng’s arrest has raised questions around the world about the forces in China which led to his detention.
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