In today's business environment, reputation and freedom of movement are as valuable assets as equity. A INTERPOL Red Notice can be activated unexpectedly, affecting bank accounts, investments and even the ability to travel.

The essential thing to know is not to wait for it to happen: there is the possibility of taking preventive action and stop the problem before it becomes an international alert.

What is CCF and how can it help you?

The Commission for the Control of INTERPOL's Files (CCF) is an independent body that oversees the use of INTERPOL's information systems. Its mission is to ensure that the personal data processed by the organization respects three essential principles: legality, neutrality and human rights.

Practically speaking, this means that anyone - including entrepreneurs and managers - can turn to the CCF for:

• Request access to your INTERPOL data.
• Demand its correction or elimination if they do not meet the standards.
• Submit a preventive and confidential application to prevent the issuance of an unjustified Red Notice.

The key articles that protect the employer

The Constitution and INTERPOL's Constitution provide clear guarantees:

• Respect for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Pabsolutely prohibits any intervention in political, military, religious or racial matters.
• Re are aware of the right to request access, rectification or deletion of data.
• Article 32: establishes that the CCF must respond within a reasonable period of time on the admissibility of the request.
• Ensures the confidentiality of the procedure, protecting the applicant from retaliation.

Commercial and administrative disputes: outside the criminal sphere

One aspect that is often not known is that not every business conflict can be converted into a Red Notification.

The Article 83 of INTERPOL's Rules on Data Processing that international alerts may not be issued for offenses arising from the infringement of laws or regulations of an administrative nature. This includes disputes commercial, corporate, labor or tax matters.

An illustrative case was related to the Mexican state-owned oil company PEMEX. A former official was indicted in a criminal proceeding based on alleged administrative infractions related to labor regulations. The CCF concluded that this was not a serious criminal offense, but an administrative matter. Consequently, the Red Notice was annulled as contrary to Article 83.

Precisely because it falls into this category, could not be used as the basis for a Red Notice.The company's activities are outside the "criminal ratio" required by INTERPOL's rules.

The importance of anticipating

The best defense is not to react when there is already a warning, but rather to anticipate it.

A preventive and confidential application to the CCF allows:

1. Advise INTERPOL that the case is of political or administrative origin.
2. Prevent the publication of an alert contrary to international standards.
3. Protect the customer's reputation, business and freedom of movement.

Conclusion: prevention is power

At Venfort Abogados we have proven in more than twenty successful cases that prevention makes the difference. Businessmen in the financial, energy and industrial sectors have managed to shield themselves from international prosecution attempts thanks to a proactive strategy.

A red alert does not only affect the judicial level: it compromises reputation, business life and the ability to operate in global markets.