An architect of the defence
A cross-border case rarely belongs to one country alone. A client may hold more than one nationality, face prosecution in one state, be involved in extradition proceedings in another and own assets elsewhere. A decision in any one of these jurisdictions may affect the position in the others.
I act as the architect of the defence: independently analysing the record, developing the overall strategy and coordinating local counsel. The objective is a coherent, evidence-based position across the criminal case, extradition proceedings, INTERPOL requests and related asset matters.
This is substantive legal work as well as coordination. It connects the different proceedings without replacing the lawyers responsible for advice and representation under the law of each country.
Independent analysis of the underlying case
I examine the allegation and supporting record with counsel in the prosecuting state. The review may cover:
- The charges, evidence, procedural history and the client’s current legal status.
- Arrest warrants, detention or bail decisions, judgments and the documents supporting extradition.
- Inconsistencies between national case materials and information circulated internationally.
- Evidential gaps, disputed transactions and the alleged connection between the conduct and particular assets.
I analyse questions of Russian criminal law directly. Questions of other domestic laws are assessed with qualified local counsel. Preventive criminal-law due diligence can also inform decisions about business, travel and property before international proceedings arise.
Building the cross-border case record
Scattered documents and parallel proceedings need to be organised into a record that a new lawyer or reviewing institution can understand without prior knowledge of the case. I bring the material together, identify its sources and check significant factual statements against the supporting documents.
- Consolidated case chronology
- A single timeline of relevant events, transactions and procedural steps, with references to the documents that support each entry.
- Proceedings map
- A record of the proceedings in each jurisdiction: the parties, legal questions, current status, measures in force and next deadlines.
- Facts and evidence inventory
- An indexed inventory identifying each document’s source, date and relevant passages. Confirmed facts are distinguished from allegations, assumptions and points that remain unverified.
- Decisions and procedural measures
- A review of relevant Russian and foreign judgments, institutional decisions, arrest warrants and asset measures, identifying their scope and current legal effect.
- Russian law and INTERPOL records
- Russian-law analysis linked to the underlying documents, alongside available INTERPOL data, CCF submissions, correspondence and decisions.
- Contradictions between proceedings
- A comparison of the factual accounts used in different countries and institutions, identifying material inconsistencies, evidential gaps and matters requiring clarification.
The result is an indexed documentary package adapted to the particular forum: foreign counsel, a court, the CCF, an immigration authority, a bank or another reviewing institution. The purpose is to make the factual basis and its limits clear, so that each recipient can assess the question within its own remit.
Banking · Assets · Immigration · International mobility
International consequences of criminal proceedings
Russian criminal proceedings may affect banking relationships, assets, immigration status and international travel. I assist clients and foreign counsel in addressing these consequences through Russian criminal-law expertise and coordinated work with local lawyers.
Explore this serviceOne coordinated strategy
I use the common record to align the legal teams’ work and agree priorities, responsibilities and deadlines. The following proceedings and reviews may run in parallel. They share a factual foundation, but each has its own legal test, procedure and decision-maker.
Underlying criminal proceedings
I work with local defence counsel to scrutinise the accusation, identify procedural and evidential issues, obtain relevant records and assess how developments in the domestic case can support the wider defence.
INTERPOL and the CCF
Work on INTERPOL data and CCF requests draws on the same verified factual record. I identify discrepancies between the underlying proceedings and the information circulated, addressing them within the CCF’s mandate.
Extradition and surrender
I help local counsel build an evidence-based case against extradition by connecting the underlying case analysis with the available legal objections and coordinating supporting documents and expert evidence. Where relevant, this includes Russian criminal-law expert evidence. Local counsel leads the extradition defence before the competent authorities.
Immigration, asylum and residence
I prepare explanations of the Russian allegations, procedural history and relevant decisions for foreign immigration counsel. The record is tailored to the issue before the authority, with immigration applications, appeals and local-law advice handled by appropriately qualified counsel.
Assets, Silver Notices and mutual legal assistance
I distinguish confirmed measures from suspected asset tracing, including a possible Silver Notice, and assess the alleged link between the property and the criminal case. Under the Silver Notice framework, the notice itself does not freeze or confiscate assets. Measures arising through mutual legal assistance or domestic proceedings require separate assessment with local counsel.
Banking, sanctions screening and enhanced due diligence
I prepare the Russian criminal-law and factual material needed to explain allegations, decisions and their current status to banking and compliance teams. This may support source-of-wealth enquiries, enhanced due diligence, sanctions screening and reputational-risk assessment. Specialist banking, regulatory and sanctions questions are addressed with qualified local counsel.
Each step should support the defence across jurisdictions. I work with clients and legal teams in the United States, Cyprus, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and other relevant jurisdictions. See my guide for international clients facing INTERPOL issues.
Using decisions across forums
A decision in one forum does not automatically determine the outcome in another. A CCF decision does not decide extradition; an asylum decision does not determine criminal liability; and a foreign judgment may address only part of the underlying factual record. My task is to identify what each decision actually establishes and how it may properly be used elsewhere.
I examine the issues decided, the findings and reasons, the decision’s current status and the limits of its relevance. With local counsel, I assess how it can support another proceeding and what further evidence is needed.
Deletion of INTERPOL data may leave separate banking, immigration or asset questions unresolved. Each decision is therefore placed within the wider record, and the remaining issues are addressed in the appropriate forum.
The initial review
In the first message, identify the countries involved, your nationality or nationalities, your known procedural status and the nearest deadline. Indicate where proceedings and assets are located, which lawyers are already instructed and which notices or measures are confirmed rather than suspected. Please do not send sensitive case materials before conflicts and scope have been checked.
Once instructed, I set out an action plan identifying the evidence needed, the issues for each jurisdiction, responsibilities and deadlines. The case record and plan are updated as proceedings develop and new judicial, institutional or banking decisions arise.
Services are subject to a conflict check and an agreed scope of engagement. References to countries do not indicate local offices or admission to practise local law. General information only, not advice on any individual matter.