China formally arrests Interpol's former chief for corruption

China has formally arrested Interpol's former chief Meng Hongwei, who previously worked as vice minister of public security, for corruption and misuse of power, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

China's Supreme People's Procuratorate said prosecutors have decided to arrest Meng on suspicion of accepting bribes. His case was transferred to procurators for investigation and prosecution after a probe by the National Supervisory Commission, it added.

Meng, 65, who was once a rising political star among officialdom of the Communist Party of China (CPC), held the powerful post of vice-minister of public security before being appointed as China's first official to head the Interpol -- a global organisation that facilitates worldwide police cooperation.

Last month, he was sacked from all his official positions and expelled from the ruling Communist Party for serious disciplinary violations and suspected graft crimes, the Party's disciplinary watchdog and national supervisory commission announced.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) accused Meng of abusing his position and power for personal gain, squandering state funds to finance his family's extravagant lifestyle, and disregarding the principles of being a party member.

Meng was also accused of encouraging his wife to use his status to further her own interests. He was last heard on September 25, 2018 after leaving his home in the French city of Lyon bound for China.

He sent his wife Grace Meng a message on social media, telling her to "wait for my call", along with a knife emoji suggesting he was in some kind of danger.

Grace reported her husband missing to the French authorities on October 4 and was later put under police protection after receiving threatening messages over telephone and online. Earlier this year, she applied for asylum in France.

On October 6, Interpol issued a request to the Chinese government for information on Meng's whereabouts and the CCDI replied the following day, saying he had been detained in connection with an investigation into alleged corruption.

Confirming his detention, the Chinese Ministry of public security on October 8, 2018 said that he is being probed for bribery and other crimes but did not elaborate.

President Xi Jinping, who is regarded as the most powerful leader of China after Mao Zedong, heads the ruling CPC, the military and the presidency. He has been designated as the core leader and a constitutional amendment has removed two-term limit for the president, paving the way for him to be the leader for life.

An official statement here last month said Meng is being probed for links with disgraced senior official Zhou Yongkang.

Zhou, 75, was the highest ranking CPC official having served as the security chief in the previously Hu Jintao regime who was punished in the massive anti-corruption campaign by Xi in which over a million officials were punished since he came to power in 2012.

Zhou is currently serving life sentence after admitting allegations against him.