French police controller named Interpol president

RABAT – French police controller Lucas Philippe was elected head of Interpol on Nov 27 at its 93rd assembly general in Morocco, the law enforcement agency posted on X.

He succeeds Emirati Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi, who was plagued by several judicial complaints in Europe accusing him of torture.

The role of Interpol president rotates every four years but the title is largely symbolic.

Mr Philippe, 53, also serves as counsellor for European and international affairs to the director of the French police.

He obtained 84 votes compared with the runner up, Turkish candidate Mustafa Serkan Sabanca, who got 60 votes, Moroccan state news agency MAP said.

During his campaign for the post, Mr Philippe said: “My objective is clear: to consolidate the role of the organisation as a global reference for collective security.”

Namibian candidate Anne-Marie Nainda and Ethiopian candidate Demelash Gebremichael Weldeyes trailed behind with 12 and eight votes respectively, the agency said.

The Interpol president is tasked with presiding over the agency’s general assembly, but it is the secretary-general who determines day-to-day operations in Lyon, Interpol’s headquarters since 1989.

The post of Interpol secretary-general is currently held by Brazilian Valdecy Urquiza, elected in November 2024 for a five-year term.

In addition to Mr al-Raisi, other Interpol presidents have been at the centre of controversies, including former Chinese politician Meng Hongwei, who took the post in 2016 before disappearing from the headquarters in Lyon two years later.

Beijing later said he had returned to China where he faced charges of corruption, for which he was sentenced to 13½ years in prison in 2020. AFP