Estlund Law (LexBlog Russia)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ESTLUND LAW OBTAINS THE DELETION OF RED NOTICE IN RUSSIAN BANKING CASE Miami, Florida, U.S.A.- Estlund Law, P.A., has achieved the removal of a Red Notice in the case of a client who had been targeted in a politically motivated case from Russia. The client is a former banking executive who had...

In the last post, RNLJ addressed the growing call for meaningful international responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. INTERPOL is among the organizations to which the world is looking for leadership on this issue, particularly given its status as a law enforcement support entity. Since that post, INTERPOL has issued a statement on its position....

For an in-depth look at INTERPOL abuse, trends, and responsive strategies for practitioners, please see my recently published article in the International Enforcement Law Reporter entitled, “INTERPOL’s Expanding Reach, Use, and Consequences: A Global Survey of Abuse Techniques by Some INTERPOL Member Countries and Effective Response Strategies,” found here.  Many thanks to my co-author, Adriana...

This week, I received a post idea from Rutsel Silvestre J. Martha, of Lindeborg Counsellors at Law. Mr. Martha is a highly respected expert on international law and his 2010 book, The Legal Foundations of INTERPOL, was one of my earliest sources of instruction regarding all things INTERPOL when I began this area of practice over...

As most followers of Russian news know by now, opposition leader and activist Alexei Navalny was detained immediately upon his recent return to Russia, after a 5-month absence due to his recovery in Germany from nerve agent poisoning. It is widely suspected that the Russian Security Service (FSB) is responsible for the poisoning, though officials...

It’s happened again. Russian authorities’s misuse of INTERPOL’s databases has resulted in further persecution of William Browder. As reported here, Russian authorities have sought for many years to extradite Browder on clearly politically motivated charges. While INTERPOL has correctly refused to allow Russian requests for Red Notices to stay in effect for Browder, Russia has managed...

The Russian Federation is one of INTERPOL’s 190 member countries, which means that it has the privilege of using INTERPOL’s databases to help it track down wanted suspects and convicts for prosecution and sentencing.  Along with that privilege comes the obligation to follow INTERPOL’s rules, not the least of which are the requirements that every...

The CCF’s Decision According to a press release issued by the William Browder camp today, INTERPOL has decided -again- to reject Russia’s request to list him as a wanted suspect in INTERPOL’s databases.   This means that the CCF (Commission for the Control of INTERPOL’S Files) considered Russia’s request to have Mr. Browder listed as...

It would seem to all observers of the William Browder case that INTERPOL’s most recent consideration of Russia’s request to issue a Red Notice against Mr. Browder would result in a swift denial, that has not happened. Instead, INTERPOL is taking its time in issuing a decision on the matter, and has not issued any...

Russia’s requests for Red Notices have been the subject of significant media coverage in the last two years.  Most recently, INTERPOL reportedly refused to issue a Red Notices for Ihor Kolomoisky, who is accused of masterminding murders, using prohibited methods and means of warfare, abduction, and other crimes linked to the armed conflict in the southeastern...

In the last post, I discussed the endemic corruption in Russia’s courts and the need for INTERPOL’s heightened scrutiny of Russia’s Red Notice requests.  Today’s focus is on the reason that some litigants fare much worse than others in Russia’s courts, and how that affects INTERPOL. While Russians generally seem to agree that basic, low-level...

INTERPOL has received improper requests for Red Notices from Russia in the past, and all current indicators point to a worsening of the situation rather than an improvement. Russia is an INTERPOL member country and is currently ranked 28 on Transparency International’s corruption index.  A score of 28 means that Transparency International has determined that...

  As was discussed here last Thursday, Russian officials publicly reported that INTERPOL was considering Russia’s third request to provide assistance in locating and apprehending William Browder.   INTERPOL has twice rejected Russia’s requests based on the political nature of the case, and it now appears that the third time will not be a charm...

Russia’s preoccupation with obtaining a Red Notice against William Browder continues.  I first addressed this issue here.  For those who haven’t followed the case, William Browder is the chief executive officer and co-founder of the investment fund Hermitage Capital Management, and a noted critic of Vladimir Putin.  When his attorney, Sergei Magnitsky, allegedly uncovered and...

The issue of Russia’s request for INTERPOL’s help in locating William Browder was previously covered here.  Mr. Browder sought the removal of his data from INTERPOL’s files, and his request was granted.  Since that time, Russia’s interest in Mr. Browder has continued, and earlier this week, Russia requested a Red Notice in Mr. Browder’s name....

Last week, INTERPOL immediately announced its decision to remove investment banker William Browder from its databases, thereby denying Russia’s request to keep Browder’s information in circulation between its 190 member countries.  The background between Mr. Browder and Russian officials is found here, in an article by David M. Herszenhorn. INTERPOL’s press statement regarding the CCF...

The offices of Amnesty International in Russia were recently raided as part of an “audit,” as reported in the New York Times by David Herszenhorn and Andrew Roth, here.  Amnesty International is a leading non-governmental organization (NGOs) that provides in-depth and ongoing reports and information on the status of various human rights issues in countries around...