Meng Hongwei facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Meng Hongwei
孟宏伟
Meng Hongwei
President of Interpol
In office 10 November 2016 – 7 October 2018
Secretary-General	Jürgen Stock
Preceded by	Mireille Ballestrazzi
Succeeded by	Kim Jong Yang
Vice-Minister of Public Security of China
In office 10 April 2004 – 7 October 2018
Minister	Zhou Yongkang Meng Jianzhu Guo Shengkun Zhao Kezhi
Premier	Wen Jiabao Li Keqiang
Deputy Director of the State Oceanic Administration of China
In office 18 March 2013 – 8 December 2017
Premier	Li Keqiang
Director	Liu Cigui Wang Hong
Director of the China Coast Guard
In office 18 March 2013 – 8 December 2017
Premier	Li Keqiang
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	November 1953 (age 71) Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
Political party	Communist Party of China (1975-2019, expelled)
Spouse	Grace Meng
Children	2
Alma mater	Peking University and Central South University

Meng Hongwei (simplified Chinese: 孟宏伟; traditional Chinese: 孟宏偉; pinyin: Mèng Hóngwěi; born in November 1953) is a former Chinese government official and police officer. He was the president of Interpol from 2016 to 2018. Interpol is a big international organization that helps police forces around the world work together. Meng also served as a vice-minister for Public Security in China from 2004 to 2018.

In October 2018, Chinese authorities took Meng into custody. They accused him of financial wrongdoing. He then resigned from his role at Interpol. In January 2020, a Chinese court sentenced Meng to 13-and-a-half years in prison. This was for accepting money and misusing his power during his time in government.

Early Life and Career

Meng Hongwei was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, in 1953. He started working in 1972. In 1975, he joined the Communist Party of China.

He studied law at Peking University. He also earned a master's degree from Central South University. Meng has over 40 years of experience working in law enforcement and justice.

He served as Vice-Minister of Public Security from 2004 until 2018. From 2013 to 2017, he was also the Director of the Maritime Police Bureau. He was also a deputy director of China's State Oceanic Administration. In April 2018, he was removed from a committee within the Ministry of Public Security. The reason for this change was not made clear.

Leading Interpol

In 2004, Meng became the head of Interpol's branch in China. On November 10, 2016, he was chosen to be the President of Interpol. He was the first person from China to hold this important position.

Many saw his election as a sign of China's growing influence in international groups. Some people worried that China might use his position to find opponents living outside the country. During his time as president, the Chinese government asked Interpol to help find many officials and business people. These individuals were wanted for questioning about financial wrongdoing. Critics believed some of these requests were for political reasons.

Meng's term as president was supposed to last until 2020. However, he resigned in October 2018 after being taken into custody by Chinese authorities.

Investigation and Legal Action

Taken into Custody

Meng left France on September 20, 2018. He arrived in China on September 25. On the same day, his wife, Grace Meng, received a message from him that worried her. News reports said that Meng was taken for questioning by anti-corruption officials when he arrived in China.

On October 4, Mrs. Meng reported her husband missing to the French police. She received police protection because she felt threatened. As of January 2019, Mrs. Meng was seeking safety in France.

Official Charges and Sentence

On October 6, 2018, Interpol officially asked the Chinese government about Meng's situation. The next day, China's anti-corruption agency announced that Meng was being investigated. He was accused of accepting money and misusing his power. They also said he might not have followed party rules strictly.

Interpol then received a letter from Meng, saying he was resigning immediately. Kim Jong Yang of South Korea became the acting president. Interpol did not say if Meng resigned under pressure. Grace Meng later said she would take legal action against Interpol. She felt they did not properly check if his resignation was real.

On October 26, 2018, Meng was removed from China's top political advisory body. On March 27, 2019, he was removed from the Communist Party and all his government jobs.

In April 2019, Meng's wife sued Interpol. She said they failed to help her. In 2021, she said the charges against her husband were false. She believed he was removed because he wanted to bring changes to China.

On April 24, 2019, Chinese prosecutors announced they would arrest Meng Hongwei. On June 20, 2019, he admitted to accepting over 14.5 million yuan (about $2.11 million) in money. On January 21, 2020, he was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison. He also had to pay a fine of 2 million CNY. He did not try to appeal the court's decision.

See also

• List of solved missing person cases