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The entrance to Interpol headquarters, in Lyon, in the south-east of France. JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP

The controversy continues to grow as the new president of Interpol approaches. In question, the nationality and the course of one of the two candidates for the post, Alexander Prokopchuk. He is a former official of the Russian Ministry of the Interior and, as such, he is already provoking an outcry among Western countries. An epidermic reaction, which did not fail to provoke the anger of the Russian authorities in Moscow.

With our correspondent in Moscow, Daniel Vallot

This is an open letter issued by four US senators that has angered the Russian authorities. In this text, senators ask Interpol delegates to dismiss the candidate proposed by Moscow. " It would introduce the wolf in the sheepfold, " write the four US officials who accuse Russia of using Interpol to harass opponents of the Kremlin abroad.

The Kremlin did not really appreciate the charge of the American senators. This is clearly " an interference, " said Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian president.

A Russian at the head of Interpol, this scenario raises concern in the United States. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US " strongly supports " South Korean presidential candidate Kim Jong-yang against his Russian rival.

The prospect is also frowned upon by opponents of Vladimir Putin. Opponents who point out in particular the use of the famous "Red Notices" issued by Interpol, the equivalent of international arrest warrants. An instrument that Russia has abused in recent years, according to its opponents. On social networks, Alexei Navalny says that Russia has continued to use Interpol " for purposes of political repression ."

According to the daily The Times , Alexander Prokopchuk is the favorite of the vote against another candidate, South Korean. According to his biography on the website of the Russian Ministry of the Interior, which he joined in the 1990s, Alexander Prokopchuk obtained the rank of police general in 2003 and started working with Interpol in 2006, first in as deputy head of the Russian office of the organization. This 56-year-old polyglot was also charged with co-operation with Europol, the European Criminal Police Agency, and appointed to the Interpol Executive Committee in 2014 before being elected Vice-President in November 2016.

The world police have been without a president since the sudden " resignation " of his former boss, Meng Hongwei, who was accused of corruption in China and who mysteriously disappeared in early October during a trip to his country.