Interpol announced Sunday that it has received the resignation of Meng Hongwei, its Chinese chief, who has been missing since September 25 and is suspected by Beijing of “violating the law,” AFP reported.
Meng has resigned “with immediate effect” and Senior Vice President Kim Jong Yang, a South Korean, has become acting president, the international police agency said in a statement.
Meng, Interpol’s first Chinese president, was last heard from on September 25 as he left Lyon, France, where the agency is based, for China.
That day, his wife said he sent a social media message telling her to “wait for my call,” before sending a knife emoji signifying danger. She said she feared for his life.
Beijing, which had remained quiet about the 64-year-old’s status since French officials announced his disappearance on Friday, said in a statement that Meng “is currently under investigation on suspicion of violating the law.”
Beijing has acknowledged that Meng is in detention “under the monitoring and investigation” of the new anti-corruption unit, the National Supervision Commission, for suspected serious violations of state law, The Guardian reported.
Interpol also said in its statement that it will elect a new president for the remaining two years of the current mandate at its general assembly in Dubai on November 18-21.