I recently received an inquiry from a reader who posed perhaps the most common question that arises from people who have submitted inquiries to INTERPOL’s CCF:

My mother-in-law has been a red notice subject, because her company in UAE could not repay a commercial loan and her partners escaped. So, she is the only one bank is going after to punish. She was and still is out of UAE, otherwise, she could be behind bar for god knows how long, for a loan.
Our local lawyer tried to communicate with the bank in UAE, but they were so sure about Interpol and rejected any communication. They keep asking for full amount + benefits and penalty costs at once. So, she made a request to CCF and we received a reply confirmation that the request is admissible. Now, 5 months have passed and we received nothing from CCF.

What do you think? Is there going to be a final decision and how long does it take to hear from CCF?

This reader has already submitted a request for some form of relief (it is not specified whether the request is an inquiry as to whether information exists in INTERPOL’s files, or for a removal of data from INTERPOL’s files) and has been advised that the form of the request is admissible.  The letter of admissibility is normally issued within 30 days of the CCF receiving the request.  The reader is now at the stage where s/he is awaiting a decision from INTERPOL.

While five months is a long time in the real world, it seems to be the blink of any eye in the realm of INTERPOL. I have seen inquiries take up to two years before a response is given, and others have been issued as quickly as two months from the date of receipt. Given the fact that, under the leadership of Chairperson Nina Vajić, the CCF has increased its yearly sessions from 3 to 4, we might hope for more consistently rapid response times going forward.  That change was only implemented this year, however, so it is still too early to know its full effect.

As always, thoughts and comments are welcomed.