Meng Hongwei Found; Arrested in China on Bribery Charges

The missing President of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, has been found at last. However, it appears that rumors about his sudden disappearance on a trip to China were confirmed in part earlier today, when the Foreign Ministry of China issued a statement saying that he had been arrested upon entering China on charges of accepting bribes while serving in the country. Hongwei was the former Vice Minister in the Ministry of Public Security in China before being appointed as the new President of Interpol. Following the cue from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Public Security issued an official statement that said, “The investigation against Meng Hongwei taking bribes and suspected violations of law is very timely, absolutely correct and rather wise.”

Hongwei’s wife alerted police to her husband’s disappearance after leaving Lyons, France, on a trip to visit family back in China on September 29, after which she had not heard from him for a couple of days. It was later learned that she had received threats by phone, and the police were offering her and their children additional security. In the week since there was any confirmed news about Hongwei’s whereabouts, there was only speculation and unconfirmed reports where a Hong Kong newspaper where a source not willing to be identified claimed to see Hongwei being taken into police custody as soon as he arrived.

A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lu Kang, speaking about the arrest said, “This (investigation) has shown the Chinese government’s firm resolve to crack down on corruption and crimes and it has also been made very clear that this case fully demonstrates that the party is firm in fighting corruption and anybody will be punished in accordance with law seriously if they violate the law.”