Interpol president reported missing after China trip

The president of Interpol, the international police organization, has been reported missing while in China.

Meng Hongwei is a former Chinese security official who had traveled to his home country, according to a French judicial official who spoke to The Associated Press.

The official said Meng’s wife told authorities she had not heard from her husband since he left Lyon.

{mosads}Interpol said in a statement it was aware of reports about Meng’s disappearance and called it “a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China,” according to the AP. 

“Interpol’s General Secretariat headquarters will not comment further,” the statement concluded.

Meng was elected president of Interpol in November 2016 after years of work inside the Chinese security establishment.

Diplomats say the role of president is largely ceremonial, with day-to-day work carried out by Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock and his staff.

Interpol did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.