Another wrongful Qatari Red Notice deleted

Detained in Dubai has secured the removal of another client’s name from the Interpol database after being subjected to an abusive Red Notice at the request of Qatar.

Interpol's system of Red Notices allows member countries to request the arrest and extradition of individuals who are wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence. However, the system has been frequently misused and abused by some member countries, particularly Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf States, to pursue individuals in foreign jurisdictions over financial disputes or debts, using Interpol as a tactic of intimidation, harassment, and extortion.

Detained in Dubai explained that the client, a British national who had been working in Qatar, had been charged and convicted in absentia for a bounced cheque. However, the cheque was written as security against a bank loan, which she had been paying off regularly for up to four years. The bulk of the loan had already been repaid when the client was abruptly laid off from her job, but she was informed by Qatar National Bank (QNB) that her final salary and parting bonus would cover the remaining balance. Despite these assurances, the security cheque for the total amount of the loan was wrongfully submitted for payment and inevitably bounced.