Interpol’s Dubai Problem

Welcome to Whale Hunting, a weekly newsletter delving into the hidden worlds of wealth and power. On Monday, Georgia Gee explored how Dubai has become a haven for criminals, including some of the world's scariest drug kingpins (cross-posted from Gateway). I shared my own story of running into one of the U.K.'s worst heroin smugglers in Dubai (one of his underlings put in his finger in my eye to explain how he'd once popped someone's eyeball out). Today, Georgia is back again with updates on the Isabel Dos Santos case and Interpol. – Bradley

By Georgia Gee

INTERPOL is the international organization that facilitates worldwide police co-operation “to fight international crime.” It was largely created to stop people from committing crimes in one country and fleeing elsewhere with impunity. But the consider the UAE.

We have previously reported on Isabel dos Santos and how she is managing to evade her Interpol warrant, following multiple corruption charges, holed up in a luxury resort in Dubai. Similarly, we’ve reported on the drug lords living the high-life in the country.

But what's even more stunning is that Interpol’s current president is from the UAE. On top of that, he is accused of severe human rights abuses (which his representatives have denied). There are currently no candidate vetting procedures by Interpol state parties.