[Published: Monday October 08 2018]
 China accuses Interpol chief of bribery
BEIJING 8 Oct (ANA) - The detained Chinese head of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, is being investigated for alleged bribe-taking, Chinese authorities have announced.
Mr Meng was first reported missing in late September after travelling from Interpol HQ in France to China.
His wife has revealed that he sent her a text message with a knife emoji on the day he went missing.
Mr Meng is the latest high-profile target to be ensnared in a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
He is also a vice-minister for public security in China.
In its announcement of the investigation, China's Public Security Ministry said the probe was "correct, wise and shows the determination of [President Xi]'s administration to continue its anti-corruption drive".
Interpol is the global policing agency that coordinates between police forces around the world, including searches for missing and wanted persons.
Interpol's general secretariat oversees the day-to-day work of the 192-member organisation, with the role of the president largely ceremonial.
After Mr Meng's disappearance was made public on Friday, speculation had mounted that he had been taken into custody. A number of top Chinese government officials, billionaires and even an A-list celebrity have vanished in recent months.
Last week, actress Fan Bingbing, who disappeared in July, emerged with a public apology and a fine of 883 million yuan ($ 129m; £ 98.9m) for tax evasion and other offences.
But correspondents say that Mr Meng's high-profile position at Interpol was once seen as a prize for Beijing, raising questions about whom he might have angered or what he might have done to be targeted as part of President Xi's anti-corruption blitz.
In a statement on Twitter on Sunday, it said it had received Mr Meng's resignation with immediate effect. Under its terms it has appointed senior vice-president Kim Jong-yang of South Korea as acting president.(ANA)
FA/ANA/8 October 2018--------
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