Interpol does not list Red Notice for Changpeng Zhao, despite rumors

Interpol’s website does not list a public Red Notice for Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao as of March 3, despite rumors that such a notice has been issued.

No record of Zhao on Interpol site

CryptoSlate did not find any mention of Zhao or his colleague Samuel Lim among the nearly 7,000 Red Notices that are publicly listed on the Interpol site.

CryptoSlate also contacted Interpol and asked the organization to confirm or deny the rumor. The agency did not respond by press time.

Earlier, UpOnly podcast host Jordan Fish — also known as Cobie — circulated a rumor suggesting that Zhao had received a Red Notice. Cobie posted an encrypted Tweet on Twitter which, when decrypted, simply read: “Interpol Red Notice for CZ.”

Cobie’s Twitter account is currently protected, meaning that any further comments he may have made on the matter are known only to approved followers.

The rumor was circulated more widely by a Twitter account hyuktrades, who initially said he would withdraw from Binance in response to the event. He has not commented since.

Zhao’s legal situation is uncertain

Despite the lack of public information, it is possible that police forces are privately circulating a Red Notice against Zhao. It is also possible that the notice is pending approval. However, there is ultimately no evidence that any sort of notice exists or has been leaked.

Interpol’s website also minimizes the importance of a Red Notice. If such a notice has been issued, it would not act as an international arrest warrant or require the arresting country to take action against Zhao. Instead, it would act as a request that authorities locate and provisionally arrest Zhao and deliver him to the country that requested the notice.

On March 27, the CFTC charged Zhao and related parties with regulatory evasion and with operating an illegal exchange. Presumably, any possible Red Notice related to this development would only help to advance charges that have already been filed.

It is unclear whether any other countries have ongoing cases against Zhao.