Team

Dr. Alan Aldana, lawyer specializing in INTERPOL, Managing Partner of VENFORT Abogados, Madrid and Caracas

Alan Aldana

Lawyer Founding Partner
Linkedin

Extraditions, INTERPOL Red Notices, and OFAC Sanctions · Counsel before the International Criminal Court
· Managing Partner, VENFORT · ECBA · DELF · Fair Trials LEAP · Madrid · Caracas · 15 jurisdictions.

For more than two decades, I have defended individuals and companies in cross-border criminal proceedings, where what is decided in a single country can determine freedom, reputation, and assets in several more.

I advise entrepreneurs, senior executives, family offices, high-net-worth individuals, and former high-ranking officials on extradition matters, INTERPOL, international sanctions, and transnational criminal litigation. I also act as co-counsel for full-service law firms and international consulting firms when a matter requires this specialty.

I am Counsel on the List of Counsel for the International Criminal Court and practice in Spain and Venezuela. As founding partner and Managing Partner of VENFORT, I lead complex matters from Madrid and Caracas, with correspondents in Europe, the Americas, the Gulf, Asia, and Africa.

My practice focuses on five areas:

  • Litigation before the ICC, the ECHR, and the Inter-American Court.
  • INTERPOLchallenging red notices, requests before the CCF, and preventive strategies against lawfare.
  • Extradition and European Arrest Warrant of Detention and Surrender in Spain, Latin America, USA and Persian Gulf countries.
  • International sanctions (OFAC, Global Magnitsky, and European Union): risk assessment and delisting requests.
  • Economic criminal lawmoney laundering, corporate criminal liability, and asset recovery.

I have intervened in matters of international scope related to the Panama Papers, the 2009-2010 Venezuelan financial crisis, and the Odebrecht case, currently before the Spanish courts.

Likewise, I participated before the Inter-American Court in Advisory Opinion OC-25/18 on diplomatic asylum—the request submitted by Ecuador during the case of Julián Assange.

I head the Venezuela Committee of the World Compliance Association and preside over the Aldana Foundation. I am a guest professor at Aix-Marseille Université, the Complutense University of Madrid, and Javeriana University in Colombia, and I participate as a speaker and guest expert in international forums.

I am a member of the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA) and its sub-association European Fraud and Compliance Lawyers (EFCL); a full member of the UK's Defence Extradition Lawyers Forum (DELF); and a member of Fair Trials' Legal Experts Advisory Panel (LEAP).

Much of my work is preventiveact before an international criminal dispute turns into an arrest, extradition proceeding, or INTERPOL notice. I accept a limited number of confidential matters.

Employment History

Venfort Lawyers
Spain and Venezuela
2023 – Present
Managing Partner

I lead the firm and its international criminal defense practice: extraditions, INTERPOL proceedings, international sanctions, white-collar crime, and litigation before international courts (ICC, ECHR, IACtHR). The team includes former judges, former prosecutors, and financial law specialists, with the capacity for coordinated action in Spain, Venezuela, and a network of correspondents across eleven jurisdictions in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The firm advises individuals, corporations, and international law firms requiring criminal representation in Spain or Venezuela.

Guest professor and lecturer — International and Economic Criminal Law
2016 – Present

Teaching and presentations at universities and academic forums on both sides of the Atlantic, in international criminal law, economic criminal law, anti-money laundering, transitional justice, and human rights.

  • Visiting professor at Aix-Marseille University (NOHA program), the Complutense University of Madrid, and the Pontifical Xavierian University.
  • Moderator of the international panel at the 9th International Seminar «Peace and Reconciliation: Balances and Perspectives for Colombia,» organized by the Intercultural Studies Institute (IEI) of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali (2023).
  • Guest panelist at the VII International Seminar on Interculturality «Truth, Justice, and Intercultural Dialogue for Reconciliation,» Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Cali, with the presentation «Challenges for Transitional Justice» (2017).
  • Speaker at the Law Congress of the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela, on money laundering prevention (2019).

WORLD COMPLIANCE ASSOCIATION
Caracas, Venezuela.
2022 – present
Director of the World Compliance Association (Venezuela Committee)

I direct the Venezuelan national committee of the WCA: programming technical sessions, publications, and training in criminal compliance, international sanctions, and anti-money laundering prevention for companies with exposure in Latin America.

Alan Aldana Attorneys & Associates
Caracas, Venezuela
2007 – present
Director

I founded and directed for sixteen years the Caracas office, specializing in economic criminal law, international criminal law, and human rights. In 2023, we unified our practice under the VENFORT Abogados brand: Alan Aldana & Asociados is now the firm's Venezuelan entity, which operates alongside VENFORT Abogados SL in Spain.

Lawyers Ollé & Sesé
Madrid, Spain.
2006 - 2007
Lawyer

At that time, I worked as a junior lawyer assigned to the firm's senior partner in the cases known as the «Madrid Trials,» the CIA's extraordinary rendition flights, among other high-profile cases before the International Human Rights Committee.

Judiciary of Venezuela
Caracas, Venezuela.
2002 – 2004
Legal assistant and judgment reporter

I began my career in the Criminal Judicial Circuit of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas, Venezuela, as a legal assistant and judgment drafter. Knowing the judiciary from the inside continues to be an advantage in my defense practice.

Academic Background

Master’s Degree in Criminal Procedural Law
Madrid Bar Association (ICAM), Spain (2023)

OFAC Sanctions Certificate
Accredited lawyer in OFAC sanctions, specialized in compliance and defense against international restrictions. I offer strategic solutions for clients affected by sanctions and financial blockades, supporting them in the mitigation of legal risks in their global operations, achieving the elimination in the list of restrictions.

Expert in Economic Criminal Law
Universidad Complutense, España (2019)

Certificate in Negotiation and Persuasion; Certificate in Leadership and Change
Harvard University, Boston, U.S.A. (2018)
Trained to negotiate, persuade and resolve conflicts efficiently.

Extradition Program in the North American System
Latin American Bar Association, U.S.A. (2014)

Specialist in Constitutional Procedural Law
Universidad Monteavila, Caracas, Venezuela (2012)

Certificate in Management for Lawyers
Yale University, Connecticut, U.S.A. (2010)

Master’s Degree in Procedural Law
Universidad de Salamanca, España (2005 – 2006)

Specialist in Criminal and Criminological Sciences
Universidad Santa María, Caracas, Venezuela (2005)

Expert in International Humanitarian Law
Henry Dunant Institute, Caracas, Venezuela (2004)

Law Degree
Universidad Santa María, Caracas, Venezuela (2003)

Areas of expertise

    • Criminal law
    • International criminal law
    • Government sanctions and compliance (OFAC, GLOMAG and EU)

    License to practice in:

    • Spain
    • Venezuela
    • International Criminal Court

    Languages

    • Spanish
    • English

    Publications

    • The Duterte Case Before the International Criminal Court: Strategic Lessons for Those Facing the Risk of International Investigation.
    • OFAC General License 46: an opportunity for some operators, a significant risk for those who do not understand its limits.
    • The ordinary offence that conceals political persecution: a multi-level analysis of lawfare in international judicial co-operation.
    • Inmunidad parlamentaria en el sistema jurídico venezolano [Parliamentary Immunity in the Venezuelan Legal System]: (2017)

    This study deals with the possibility of prosecution of high-ranking officials, who have been granted special immunity to hold office, in accordance with the Principle of Progressivity of Human Rights. https://tinyurl.com/ycytsxvs

    • Articles of the International Criminal Court:
      • ¿Qué significa una investigación preliminar de la Corte Penal Internacional? [What Does a Preliminary Investigation by the International Criminal Court mean?] (2018) https://bit.ly/3MrGfQp
    • Justicia transicional: un compromiso con la libertad y la equidad en los conflictos políticos y sociales: [Transitional Justice: A Commitment to Freedom and Equity in Political and Social Conflicts] (2017): https://bit.ly/42CTlQn
    • Delito de blanqueo ante el fenómeno de la criptomoneda [The Crime of Money Laundering and the Cryptocurrency Phenomenon]: (2019): https://bit.ly/3M057gG

    Conferences and Presentations

       

        • Moderator of the International Seminar on Peace and Reconciliation, Balances and Perspectives for Colombia (2023). Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.

        • The crime of laundering in the face of the cryptocurrency phenomenon (2019). Complutense University, Spain.

        • Blanqueo de dinero [Money Laundering]. Law Congress (2019). Andrés Bello Catholic University, Venezuela.

        • Blanqueo de dinero [Money Laundering]. International Forum: A legal view on the use of blockchain and digital economy (2018). Venezuela.

        • Desafíos para la justicia transicional en Venezuela [Challenges for Transitional Justice in Venezuela] (2017). Javeriana University, Colombia.

        • Proceso de paz y derechos humanos en Venezuela [Peace Process and Human Rights in Venezuela]. Seminario sobre Víctimas en el Proceso de Paz en Colombia (2016). Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.

      Affiliations

      World Compliance Association
      Caracas Chamber of Commerce
      INTER-AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
      ICAM Lawyer
      Miranda State Bar Association