Lawyers focused exclusively on INTERPOL cases

Red Notice lawyers with experience from inside the CCF

Collegium of International Lawyers works on INTERPOL cases and nothing else. Our lead adviser brings experience from inside the Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files, the United Nations and OHCHR. We represent clients in Red Notice removal, diffusion challenges, requests for provisional measures and applications for revision under Article 42 of the CCF Statute.

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The first review is free and confidential. We reply within one business day.

Red NoticeCCF decision, 2026

Client: Businessman, dual national
Requesting country: Withheld
Charge: Aggravated fraud and criminal association
What it really was: Unpaid investment loans to a family company, already in civil court abroad

Arrested in Europe on the Red NoticeDetained while extradition was considered
Extradition refused by a national courtNo evidence of personal involvement
Deletion request filed with the CCFCommercial nature, no clear role described
CCF decision: data not compliant, deletedFinal and binding on INTERPOL, Art. 38

A real CCF decision from 2026. Personal details withheld. Read the case

Detained, stopped at a border or facing extradition? The CCF can order provisional measures, such as blocking the data, while it examines your case. Write to us now, any time of day.

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4 mo.for the CCF to decide on an access request once it is admissible, Art. 40(1)

9 mo.for a decision on a deletion or correction request, Art. 40(2)

6 mo.to apply for revision after a decisive new fact is discovered, Art. 42(2)

19,568Red Notices published by INTERPOL in 2025, up 26% on 2024

Article references are to the Statute of the CCF. The CCF may extend time limits where circumstances warrant it, Art. 40(3).

Red Notice deleted after the requesting country could not show what our client did

A business dispute over unpaid loans became a fraud charge and a Red Notice. Our client was arrested in Europe. The CCF deleted the notice in 2026.

Personal details, the country and the amounts are withheld.

The notice: Aggravated fraud and criminal association, based on loans to a family company that had not been repaid
The background: The same dispute was already before a civil court in another country. The criminal complaint was filed in parallel with it
Arrest: Detained in a European country on the notice. The national court refused extradition for lack of evidence of personal involvement
What we argued: A commercial dispute presented as a crime; no clear description of the client's own role; the refused extradition; political and human rights concerns
What the CCF found: The case looked more like a private dispute than a crime. Being a company director was not enough to show involvement, and the country's answers stayed general despite the Commission's questions. Data not compliant with Art. 83 of the Rules on the Processing of Data, deleted
How long: Admissible within days. Decided about 18 months later, after the CCF extended its time limit because of its caseload, Art. 40(3)

More Red Notices than ever, and more of them fail INTERPOL's rules

INTERPOL's own figures. Requests are rising fast, and so is the number refused, cancelled or found non-compliant.

Red Notices published per year2015 to 2025

Show as table

Year	Red Notices published

86,021: valid Red Notices in INTERPOL's system on 31 December 2025
10,123: red diffusions sent directly between countries in 2025, outside the notice process
2,550: Red Notice and diffusion requests refused or cancelled by INTERPOL in 2025 for non-compliance, 558 of them on political or human rights grounds
60%: of the deletion requests the CCF decided in 2024 found the data non-compliant: 322 of 539. In 164 more cases the data was deleted before a decision
2,586: admissible requests to the CCF in 2024, a record, which is why time limits are often extended

Sources: INTERPOL notice and diffusion statistics, December 2025 (About Notices, Compliance and review); CCF Annual Activity Report 2024. Refusal figures cover INTERPOL's own review and do not include CCF decisions.

We know how the CCF reads a file, because we have read them from the inside

The CCF decides on written submissions and holds hearings only when it considers them necessary. Your file is your case, and it has to be built the way the Commission works.

The CCF is independent. Former experience gives us knowledge of its procedure and standards, not access to it, and no one can promise its decision.

We argue on the Commission's terms

Requests are assessed against INTERPOL's Constitution, its Rules on the Processing of Data and the CCF's published decisions. We frame your facts in that language from the first page.

We anticipate the country's reply

The CCF consults the requesting country through its National Central Bureau and the General Secretariat. We expect those answers and address them before they arrive.

We get the procedure right the first time

Requests go only through the CCF's online portal, one request type per filing, with documents in a working language. Errors here cost months or make a request inadmissible.

We know what evidence moves a case

Extradition refusals, asylum decisions, acquittals, expert reports on the requesting state, proof of a civil dispute. We tell you early what to gather and what will not help.

Lead Legal Adviser, INTERPOL and international criminal law

Ahmed Abdelmawgoud

Ahmed has worked inside INTERPOL in Lyon, assessing individual requests and State submissions under INTERPOL's data protection rules, the work at the heart of every CCF case. Before that he worked with the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, supported by OHCHR, on open-source investigation of human rights violations. He has also written case reports on international humanitarian and criminal law for Oxford Reports on International Law, published by Oxford University Press.

At CIL he leads Red Notice and diffusion cases, CCF proceedings and submissions challenging non-compliant INTERPOL data.

INTERPOL and the CCF
United Nations, OHCHR
Oxford Reports on International Law
Red Notices and diffusions
CCF proceedings
Data protection
Extradition strategy

Where is your case now?

An INTERPOL matter moves through set stages, from before a notice exists to after the CCF has ruled. Choose yours to see what we do.

Red Notice and diffusion removal

A reasoned request asking the CCF to delete data that breaks INTERPOL's rules. Diffusions are challenged on the same grounds as notices.

Time limit: Nine months from admissibility, Art. 40(2)
Grounds: Political character, human rights risk, private dispute, insufficient data, refugee status, ne bis in idem
Outcome: A written decision that is final and binding on INTERPOL, Art. 38. If deleted, member countries are informed

Request a removal review

Who we represent

Business owners

Shareholder, debt and contract disputes turned into fraud or embezzlement charges.

Political figures

Opposition members, former officials, journalists and activists targeted at home.

Refugees

People with refugee status or a pending asylum claim, pursued by the state they fled.

Parents

Cross-border custody disputes where one country treats a parent as an abductor.

Lawyers

Firms whose clients face a notice and need specialist CCF counsel.

Grounds that remove notices

A notice has to comply with INTERPOL's own rules. These are the issues we raise most often.

Constitution, Art. 3

Political character

INTERPOL may not act in matters of a predominantly political, military, religious or racial character.

Constitution, Art. 2

Human rights risk

An unfair trial, a conviction in absentia without proper notice, or a real risk of ill-treatment on return.

Rules on the Processing of Data, Art. 83

Private disputes

A debt, contract or family conflict recast as a crime to put pressure on you.

Rules on the Processing of Data, Art. 83

Insufficient facts

The notice must describe what you personally did, when and how. Vague or outdated data fails that test.

Refugee status

Protective status

INTERPOL policy restricts notices against recognised refugees requested by the country they fled.

Ne bis in idem

Already tried

You were acquitted, the case was closed, or you served a sentence for the same facts.

Check your grounds in two minutes

Answer what you can. Your answers stay in your browser until you choose to send them with a review request.

Do you know that a notice or diffusion exists?
Are you politically active, a journalist, or in conflict with officials of the requesting country?
Did the case start from a business, debt, contract or family dispute?
Do you have refugee status or a pending asylum claim?
Has a court refused your extradition, or were you convicted without being properly notified?
Were you already tried, acquitted or sentenced for the same facts?
Is the accusation vague about what you personally did, or is the case very old?

How a case runs

Every case follows the CCF's written procedure. Here is what happens and roughly when.

Day 1 to 2
Confidential review
You tell us what happened. We say whether the case is in scope and what it would take. Free, under confidentiality.
Up to 4 months
Access and assessment
If needed, we ask the CCF what INTERPOL holds on you, then map the grounds.
2 to 6 weeks
Evidence and request
We gather and translate documents, prepare the argument and file through the CCF portal.
During review
Replies and measures
We answer the country's position and seek provisional measures where you are at risk.
9 months by statute, often longer
Decision and follow-up
After the decision, we help clear the data from national police systems that copied it.

How fees work

You know the cost of each stage before we start.

Free first reviewA confidential call to check whether your case is in scope.
Fixed fee per stageAccess request, removal request, provisional measures or revision, each quoted in writing.
No CCF chargesINTERPOL does not charge for access or deletion requests.

Get a quote for your case

Support for law firms

Your client faces a notice and you handle the extradition, defence or asylum side. We work alongside you on the INTERPOL part.

ConsultancyProcedural advice on access, removal, provisional measures and revision.
DraftingFull CCF applications prepared for your client.
ReviewA specialist read of your draft before you file.

Discuss a referral

Questions clients ask first

If yours is not here, ask it in the confidential review.

How do I find out if I am subject to a Red Notice?

Most notices are not public. The reliable route is an access request to the CCF, which must decide within four months of the request becoming admissible.

Is a Red Notice an arrest warrant?

No. It asks police worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition. Each country decides under its own law whether to act, so the same notice can mean arrest in one country and nothing in another.

How long does removal take?

The CCF must decide within nine months of the request becoming admissible, but it can extend that, and with its current caseload it often does: our recent deletion took about 18 months. Provisional measures can protect you while you wait.

What is the difference between deletion and blocking?

Deletion is the final outcome: the data is removed from INTERPOL's files. Blocking is a temporary measure during the review that stops the data from being used, without deciding the case.

Is there a hearing?

Usually not. The CCF decides on written submissions and holds hearings only when it considers them necessary, which is why the quality of the file matters so much.

What if the CCF refuses my request?

CCF decisions are final and binding. If a decisive new fact appears, such as asylum or a refused extradition, you can apply for revision within six months of discovering it.

Does your adviser's CCF background influence the decision?

No. The Commission is independent and decides on the file. What the experience gives you is a request prepared by someone who knows how that file will be read.

What happens after a notice is deleted?

INTERPOL informs member countries. Some national police systems keep copies, so we help you request their removal and give you the decision to carry when you travel.

Tell us about your case in confidence

The first review is free. We answer within one business day and, if we can help, propose a written plan with fixed fees.

WhatsApp: +357 96 447475
Telegram: @interpollawyer
Email: info@intercollegium.com
Office: 171 Arch. Makariou III Avenue, Vanezis Business Center, 4th floor, Limassol 3027, Cyprus