LYON (France) -- The wife and former president of Interpol disappeared in Beijing in 2018. She was arrested.
China confirmed this week its intention to run for a seat on Interpol's 13 member governing body. However, it didn't specify who the candidate would be. Overseas legislators and rights activists worried that China might use Interpol's influence and reach to pursue critics living abroad claimed Hu Binchen, a senior Chinese police officer, is the candidate.
Grace Meng, the wife of Meng Hongwei (ex-President of Interpol), told The Associated Press that she knows Hu well and they are friends. Hu is employed by China's powerful Ministry of Public Security. It is part the security apparatus that keeps China's ruling Communist Party at power and enforces its strict control on any dissent.
Grace Meng stated that Hu and her husband, who was a vice-minister of public security prior to being imprisoned for corruption charges, were close friends for many years. She claims that Hu was so close to her husband, Grace Meng, that their twin boys knew him as "uncle".
"Mr. Hu Binchen is someone that I am very familiar with, as he was once Mr. Meng’s subordinate. He was a close friend of Mr. Meng for about 20 years. She said that she has known Mr. Hu for approximately 10 years. It was held in Lyon, France where Interpol is located. She said that she had remained there since her husband disappeared. granted asylum, and lives under French police protection with their children.
She warned that Hu's Interpol role could pose a danger to himself and others. Hu could be in a difficult situation, with loyalty possibly being split between his former colleague or the need to obey the Communist Party.
She said, "China is currently, for the lack of a better term, eradicating Mr. Meng Hongwei's 'pernicious influence,' and carrying out a purge." So if Mr. Hu Binchen shows sympathy with us, helps us or is kind to us, he will be breaking party discipline. He will not respect party discipline if he does. This is a problem.
She asked, "One day, will Ms. Hu Binchen also vanish, like Mr. Meng?"
Next week, the Interpol Executive Committee and its new president will be elected by a General Assembly in Istanbul. This governing body oversees Interpol's secretary general, who is its day-to-day administrator. It sets the policy and direction of Interpol's global police organization, which works together on law enforcement issues.
Through Zhao Lijian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that China would be supporting the organization's goals of fighting terror, transnational crime, and making the world safer.
Zhao stated that Interpol is a professional organization meant to fight transnational crime. It should not be affected by political or other factors.
Meng Hongwei, Interpol's president, was elected in November 2016. However, he served less than two years out of a four-year term. His presidency ended with Kim Jong Yang, South Korea's then-vice president.
In 2019, China announced that Meng was stripped of his Communist Party membership after he disappeared. A court sentenced Meng to 13 years and six month imprisonment on charges that he accepted more than $2,000,000 in bribes.
The court found guilty . He admitted his guilt , and apologized. His wife maintained for years that the allegations were false and that her husband was expelled because he used his high-profile position in order to promote change.
Grace Meng stated that she is still "extremely upset" at Interpol's handling of the matter in an AP interview. She was particularly upset that Interpol accepted her resignation immediately, even though the circumstances and motives for his disappearance were veiled in mystery.
Following up on the interview, she wrote Interpol a request for information. It was asked to explain the steps taken to make sure her husband is still alive, to gain access to him, as well as to establish whether he has freely resigned and if he has been able to access legal counsel.
In the letter, she asked how could the president of one the most powerful international organisations disappear during his mandate. Interpol responded by telling the world that Interpol had nothing to add.
A spokesperson for Interpol stated that China had removed Meng from its delegation to the body following his disappearance. This meant that he could no longer be considered president.
The statement stated that "While the situation regarding Mrs. Meng is from a human perspective is unfortunate, Mrs. Meng’s claims against Interpol have been misdirected."
