In international business practice, it is quite common for individuals or legal entities to come under Interpol’s scrutiny. At the same time, they may not even be aware of it — until the moment they start doing business in foreign jurisdictions. And that is when problems arise.

 

One of our clients, guided by experience, decided first to ensure that Interpol was not interested in them. This was the reason they turned to the experts at Lawrange. Their concern was entirely justified, so we approached the task with all available diligence. The task was indeed challenging, but our experts do not give up even in the most difficult situations.

 

What was the outcome? Find out in the following parts of the case!

 

Client: An Entrepreneur Who Wanted to Scale Their Activities to the International Market

The NDA prohibits disclosing the client’s details. Therefore, we will limit ourselves to a brief description. A representative of a local business approached the Lawrange team for assistance. They wanted to know their status in Interpol’s databases. However, without sufficient grounds, such requests are not considered, so legal support was required. This became the main focus of our collaboration.

 

We faced a series of specific tasks:

  • Determine whether the client’s data could be present in Interpol’s databases.
  • Check the legal grounds for the request and possible risks.
  • Prepare a correct legal request in accordance with international requirements.
  • Identify which Interpol divisions should be contacted for the fastest response.
  • Justify the client’s legitimate interest.
  • Properly format documents in the appropriate languages.
  • Promptly send requests to France and Spain.

 

The key challenge was the proper justification of the request. Without it, the agency would not even consider the application. As a result, an individual or legal entity risks facing a number of problems — especially if, without understanding their status, they travel to a country where Interpol operates.

 

Process: Determining Grounds and Formulating a Request to Interpol

The task seemed clear and relatively simple — on paper. In reality, everything turned out to be much more complex. First, we signed an agreement with the client for cooperation and legal support. This was necessary to confirm our right to make a request to the agency. From this starting point, we began our work.

 

Within the project, the Lawrange team experts:

  • analyzed the client’s situation and checked possible grounds for the data to be in Interpol’s databases;
  • identified relevant provisions of international and national law to justify the request;
  • prepared the structure of the legal request and agreed it with the client;
  • clearly argued the client’s legitimate interest and legal basis;
  • formatted the requests according to Interpol standards and requirements for international correspondence;
  • translated and legally adapted the texts for France and Spain;
  • sent the requests to the relevant divisions of Interpol’s General Secretariat.

 

Next, it remained to wait for a response from the agency. Further steps depended entirely on it. And there were actually quite a few. We even developed algorithms in case the organization reported violations, wanted to initiate a search, or other risky situations.

 

Result: Determining the Client’s Status in Interpol

Since the project has already been completed, you have probably guessed that our client’s status is fine. And that is indeed the case. However, without prior verification, this could not have been confirmed. Thanks to our professional actions, the client received:

  • a legally verified mechanism for checking their status in Interpol;
  • professionally prepared legal requests that meet international standards;
  • clear justification of their legitimate interest for official authorities;
  • assurance that documents were correctly formatted and would not be rejected due to formal errors;
  • prompt submission of requests to two countries, which speeds up the receipt of responses;
  • a transparent algorithm of further actions depending on Interpol’s response;
  • reduced legal risks related to possible restrictions or checks.

 

The agency’s response fully satisfied our client. They are now implementing their business plans in the selected jurisdictions. We periodically provide legal support for individual operations.

 

Do you have doubts about your own status in Interpol? Don’t risk it unnecessarily — make sure the agency is not interested in your activities. Contact a Lawrange manager for a preliminary consultation and preparation of a legally correct request!