Reference
Glossary
The legal and police terminology that surrounds wanted criminals — from extradition to RICO to Interpol's Commission for the Control of Files.
- Arrest warrant
- A court-issued order authorising police to detain a specified person for a specified reason.
- Commission for the Control of Files (CCF)
- Interpol's independent body that handles complaints about the accuracy, fairness and legality of data held in Interpol's systems.
- Extradition
- The formal legal process by which one country surrenders a wanted person to another country for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
- Fugitive
- A person who is evading arrest or prosecution — typically by fleeing a jurisdiction where they face an active warrant.
- Indictment
- A formal written charge, usually issued by a grand jury, that triggers criminal prosecution in felony cases.
- Interpol
- The International Criminal Police Organization — a global body of 196 member countries that facilitates police cooperation across borders.
- MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty)
- A bilateral treaty under which two countries agree to help each other in criminal investigations — sharing evidence, interrogating witnesses, and executing searches.
- National Central Bureau (NCB)
- The national-level police liaison office that acts as a country's single point of contact with Interpol.
- Probable cause
- The US legal standard of belief — supported by specific facts — that a crime has been committed by a particular person.
- Provisional arrest
- Short-term detention in response to a foreign arrest request, pending a formal extradition file.
- RICO
- The US Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (18 U.S.C. §§ 1961-1968) — a federal law targeting organised criminal enterprises.
- Statute of limitations
- The time limit within which criminal charges must be filed after an alleged offence, after which prosecution is barred.