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French authorities say they have closed an investigation into the disappearance and subsequent detention in China of the former president of Interpol, and found no evidence to support his wife’s claim that she got a threatening call in Chinese after he was picked up, The Associated Press reported.

An official close to the French investigation said Wednesday that police in the city of Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered, closed their probe into the call and Meng’s detention having found no evidence that a crime was committed in France.

Meng Hongwei — who was China’s vice minister of public security while also leading Interpol — was detained while on a trip to China in September. Chinese authorities have said Meng is being lawfully investigated for taking bribes and other crimes.

His wife, Grace Meng, says the bribery accusation is just an excuse for a lengthy detention and that he is being persecuted for political reasons. On Sept. 25, he sent a text message to her from China of an emoji of a knife — suggesting to her he was in danger.

Grace Meng said the man whose nighttime call frightened her in early October gave just one clue about his identity: that he used to work for Meng, suggesting the man was part of China’s security apparatus. He also said he knew where she was.

French police subsequently investigated the call but determined there was no evidence of a threat or that a crime was committed, the official close to the probe said.