The spectacular rise and fall of China’s Interpol chief Meng Hongwei

At the crest of his political career Meng Hongwei, the first-ever Chinese president of Interpol, was proudly hailed by state media as a testimony to the international community’s “full recognition” of China’s law enforcement capacity and status as a country based on the rule of law.

Less than a year after he took the helm of the global policing body, Meng hosted its general assembly in Beijing – only the second time in the country’s history.

At the opening ceremony, he was given the rare privilege of sitting next to the country’s most powerful man, President Xi Jinping, who – in a show of support for both Meng and Interpol – gave a keynote speech pledging to increase China’s support for the agency and help raise its profile.

Another year on, Meng, also a vice-minister of public security in China, was again thrust into the global limelight, although for a very different reason – the 64-year-old was reported missing by his wife in France after he travelled back to China and, two days later, it was announced he was under investigation by China’s anti-corruption body.

The corruption watchdog’s one-sentence statement did not reveal what wrongdoing Meng was suspected of, although a statement by the Ministry of Public Security issued the next day accused him of taking bribes.

The veteran public security official – who has spent decades in the law-enforcement sector – has held a wide range of portfolios, including in politically sensitive areas such as counterterrorism and coastal defence.