An alleged former KGB agent who was tipped to become Interpol’s next president has been rejected after an eleventh-hour rearguard action by the UK and US.
Alexander Prokopchuk, a general in the Russian interior ministry, was the favourite to take over as head of the international police organisation.
But in a secret ballot this morning, he was pipped by South Korean Kim Jong-yang amid fears Mr Prokopchuk’s election would lead to more Kremlin abuse of Interpol’s red notice arrest warrant system to target political opponents.
Reacting to the “excellent news”, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it sent a strong message about the importance of the international rule of law.
Acting president Mr Kim will replace Meng Hongwei, who is being held in China over bribery allegations.
The prospect of Mr Prokopchuk, who also serves as an Interpol vice president, taking over had caused widespread alarm in the West.
A prominent Ukrainian MP accused him of being a foreign intelligence officer who once served in the KGB.
Guy Verhofstadt, a leader in the European Parliament, had said “democratic and free countries may need to develop a parallel organisation” if Mr Prokopchuk was elected.
Bill Browder, a British-American financier who has campaigned for sanctions against Russian officials accused of human rights abuses, said today “reason prevails”. He called the result — which appeared to be 101 votes for Mr Kim compared with 61 for the Russian — “a total humiliation for Putin”.
The Kremlin criticised what it called a campaign to discredit Mr Prokopchuk, and suggested lobbying by a group of US senators amounted to “election meddling”. Irina Volk, a Russian interior ministry spokesman, said Mr Prokopchuk will continue to work as Interpol’s vice president.
