Meng Hongwei is a former Chinese politician and police officer who was the president of Interpol from 2016 to 2018. He also served as vice-minister of Public Security in China from 2004 to 2018. Meng purportedly resigned in absentia in October 2018 via Chinese officials after he was secretly detained and accused of taking bribes by Chinese anti-corruption authorities. On 21 January 2020, Meng had been sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in jail by a Chinese court for bribery during his time at the Chinese coast guard and Ministry of Public Security.
Early life and career
Meng was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, in 1953. He entered the workforce in 1972 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1975. He graduated from Peking University with a bachelor's degree in law and obtained a master's degree from Central South University. He has 40 years of experience in criminal justice and policing. He served as Vice-Minister of Public Security from 2004 until his arrest in 2018. He served as Director of the Maritime Police Bureau and Deputy Director of China's State Oceanic Administration from 2013 until 2017. In April 2018, without explanation, he was relieved of his membership of the Communist Party committee at the Ministry of Public Security. It was unclear whether this was due to his declining political fortunes or due to his age.
Interpol
In 2004, Meng became the head of Interpol's China branch. He was elected as President of Interpol on 10 November 2016, becoming the first Chinese head of the agency. His election was viewed as a success for China's ambitions to gain influence within international organisations. Dissidents feared that China would use Meng to track exiled opponents. During his presidency, the Chinese government submitted extensive lists of officials and business people wanted for questioning on allegations of corruption, which critics claimed were politically motivated. His term as president was due to last until 2020, but he resigned in October 2018 after being detained by Chinese authorities.
Corruption accusations
Secret detention
Meng left France on 20 September 2018, and landed in China on a flight from Stockholm on 25 September. The same day Meng sent his wife Grace an emoji of a knife, suggesting that he was in danger. The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, reported that Meng had been taken away for questioning by "discipline authorities" on his arrival in China. French newspaper Le Parisien added that he was under investigation in China, suspected of favouring a company in a cybersecurity procurement. On 4 October, Mrs. Meng reported her husband missing to the French police. She was given police protection after being threatened by phone and Internet. Mrs. Meng is now an asylum-seeker in France.
Prosecution
On 6 October 2018, Interpol officially demanded to know Meng's status from the Chinese government. The next day, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that Meng was being investigated by the National Supervisory Commission, an anti-corruption agency, for allegedly taking bribes, and that a task force would be set up to pursue his alleged associates. Meng was also accused of "willfulness", which public administration expert Zhu Lijia said might indicate that he "may not have strictly toed the party lines". Interpol also received Meng's letter of resignation, with immediate effect, and said the organisation's acting senior vice president, Kim Jong Yang of South Korea, would be acting president until a permanent replacement was elected at a meeting in Dubai in November 2018. Interpol's press release did not mention whether Meng had resigned under duress. Grace Meng has threatened Interpol with legal action over its lack of investigation into the authenticity of the resignation. On 26 October 2018, Meng was removed from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body. On 27 March 2019, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission announced that Meng was expelled from the Communist Party and removed from all posts. On April 2019, Meng's wife sued Interpol for failing to assist her at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. On 24 April 2019, a statement by the Supreme People's Procuratorate said that prosecutors "decided to arrest Meng Hongwei on suspicion of accepting bribes". On 20 June 2019, he pleaded guilty for accepting bribes over 14.5 million yuan or $2.11 million dollars. He was sentenced on 21 January 2020 to 13½ years of jail time and fined CNY 2 million for the accepting of bribes and abusing his position. He did not apply for appeal to the court sentence.
