Meng Hongwei / REUTERS

Interpol said Sunday night that Meng Hongwei had resigned as president of the agency's executive committee, effectively immediately.

It did not say why, the TIME magazine reported.

Meng is China's vice minister of public security. His whereabouts and status have been mysteries since his wife reported Friday that she had not heard from him since he went to China at the end of September.

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Read alsoReuters: Interpol chief Meng Hongwei under investigation, China says

The disciplinary organ of China's ruling Communist Party said Sunday night that Meng is "currently under the monitoring and investigation" of China's new anti-corruption body, for unspecified legal violations.

Interpol, based in Lyon, France, said the senior vice president of its executive committee, Kim Jong Yang of South Korea, would become acting president.

Interpol's new head is to be appointed at an Interpol meeting in Dubai, the UAE, on November 19-21.

Meng Hongwei, a former head of Interpol China, was elected president of the international organization in November 2016. He was the first Chinese official to become Interpol president, which is based in Lyon.

Meng oversaw the agency's executive committee, which sets overall strategy.