South Korea's Kim Jong Yang has been elected as Interpol's next president, edging out a longtime veteran of Russia's security services who was strongly opposed by the US and Britain.
The White House and its European partners had lobbied against Alexander Prokopchuk's attempts to be named the next president of the policing organisation.
They said his election would lead to further Russian abuses of Interpol's red notice system to go after political opponents.
Prokopchuk is a general in the Russian Interior Ministry and serves as an Interpol vice president. Kim's win means he secured at least two-thirds of votes cast at Interpol's general assembly in Dubai on Wednesday.
The Kremlin said this morning that clear outside pressure had been exerted on the vote but that it did not see any factors that would render the election illegitimate.
South Korea's Kim Jong Yang (pictured) has been elected as Interpol's next president, edging out a longtime veteran of Russia's security services who was strongly opposed by the US, Britain and other European nations
But South Korea's president Moon Jae-in said he was 'very proud' of Kim becoming the first from the nation to be chosen for the top Interpol post.
Kim will serve until 2020, completing the four-year mandate of his predecessor, Meng Hongwei, who was detained in China.
'Our world is now facing unprecedented changes which present huge challenges to public security and safety,' Kim told Interpol's general assembly in Dubai, according to the agency's Twitter account.
'To overcome them, we need a clear vision: we need to build a bridge to the future.'
Kim, 57, worked in the South Korean police for more than 20 years before retiring in 2015.
Prokopchuk had been named as the likely successor to Meng, who was arrested by Chinese authorities over alleged corruption.
According to The Times, a prominent Ukrainian MP has accused Mr Prokopchuk of being a foreign intelligence agent who has served in the KGB.
Yesterday senior UK politicians and human rights groups decried his candidacy and called for him to be stopped from getting the top job.
Chief of the Russian Interior Ministry's National Central Bureau of Interpol, Major General Alexander Prokopchuk, had been named the likely successor of Hongwei Meng as head of the policing agency
Russia's use of Interpol 'red notices' has been questioned after US businessman and Vladimir Putin critic, Bill Browder (left) and Chechen exiled envoy Akhmed Zakayev (right) have been detained under the controversial warrants
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable warned Interpol risked becoming a 'branch of the Russian mafia' if he was elected. And the Foreign Office threw its weight behind South Korean candidate Kim Jong-yang.
Four US senators said his appointment would be akin to 'putting a fox in charge of a henhouse' as they and a former FBI deputy director joined the opposition.
All Interpol's 194 member states had a vote in the secret ballot held in Dubai.
In the Commons, Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable called on the Government to campaign against Mr Prokopchuk. He said even the possibility of his election demonstrated that the police organisation was 'potentially corrupt.'
He said: 'If this Russian gentleman were to become head of Interpol it would be an absolute insult to the victims of the Salisbury attack.'
He added it would also be 'a massive propaganda victory for the Putin regime' and 'amount to accepting that Interpol has become a branch of the Russian mafia'.
The Government confirmed it would not support the frontrunner's promotion from his role as vice president. Foreign Office minister Harriet Baldwin said Britain supported South Korea's Kim.
The potential appointment of Alexander Prokopchuk had increased concerns that Russia had been using the international policing agency to target political opponents. Former Interpol President Meng Hongwei (right) is still missing after he was detained by Chinese authorities
Concerns have long been raised over Russia's applications for Interpol Red Notices, or arrest warrants, for critics of the Kremlin.
British financier Bill Browder said yesterday the move was a bid by Russian president Vladimir Putin to 'expand his criminal tentacles to every corner of the globe'.
Mr Browder, who was arrested in Spain this year under a Moscow-issued Red Notice, secured US sanctions against the Russians linked to the death of his tax consultant.
Similar notices have also been issued under a British request for the Russian agents accused of poisoning Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury - Alexander Mishkin and Anatoliy Chepiga.
Browder, who claims Russia has used Interpol six times to abuse him, compared the appointment to Nazi Germany's control of the agency in the 1930s.
This morning, the Kremlin critic said common sense had prevailed with Interpol's decision.
He told The Associated Press on Wednesday that 'common sense has prevailed in a dark world. This is a real humiliation for Putin, who thought he'd get away with it.'
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian interior minister called the appointment a victory for his country.
Ukraine, along with Western nations and Russian opposition figures, staunchly opposed Prokopchuk. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov tweeted Wednesday from the conference room where the vote was held, saying 'The Russian candidate has been rejected. This battle is won!'
Officials in Ukraine and Lithuania had earlier said they would consider withdrawing from Interpol if Prokopchuk was elected.
The former president, China's Meng Hongwei was missing for several days last month before the Chinese authorities confirmed he had been detained over bribery allegations.
A letter of resignation, purporting to come from Meng, was later sent to Interpol informing it of his decision to step down as president.
His wife, Grace, who is in hiding in France, revealed he sent her a text message with a knife emoji on the day he went missing and she remains 'extremely' concerned about his safety.
Her husband, whose whereabouts are still unknown, is the latest high-profile target to be ensnared in China's sweeping anti-corruption campaign as Interpol was accused of colluding with Russia over his detention.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/11/21/south-koreas-kim-jong-yang-named-new-interpol-president/
Main photo article South Korea‘s Kim Jong Yang has been elected as Interpol’s next president, edging out a longtime veteran of Russia‘s security services who was strongly opposed by the US and Britain.
The White House and its European partners had lobbied against Alexander Prokopchuk’s...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/21/07/6461704-6412557-image-a-2_1542786266871.jpg
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий