Asif
“Dear Steve,
Hi I have a loan in a local bank in Dubai and due to some overdue they filed a case against me and i was taken to the police custody and i came out by depositing my passport, after that i was called to the dubai courts for first hearing and i was sentenced for a 1 month imprisonment, i again appealed in the court and they have given the second hearing which they have given on 24th sept 2009, i am in an idea to pay the over due and ask for a no objection letter from the bank and to produce the same in the court and get release and to release my passport from the police.
Meantime the collection agency called me and asked me to pay at least one installment today any how in order to avoid any further consequences, i told them i have time till 24th sept to sort out the issue but still they need one payment or else they are saying that they will block my name in the system and i have to pay the full amount 54000 dirhams to close the case..
i am just worried about this i am staying with my family and i dont know what to do, can u please suggest me something and guide me accordingly?
Asif”
The Answer:
Dear Asif,
The problem here is that now that the courts have your passport and have taken some action against you, the bank and collector have the leverage.
You might want to try to contact the local bank directly, make an appointment to go in and meet face-to-face and explain how you want to repay this debt in a manner you can afford.
As long as you can present yourself in a calm manner and discuss the situation with a promise and ability to bring the loan current, they may accept that payment. They may not.
The collector is hired to not be nice or accommodating to you. They are there to scare and pressure you and it sounds as if they are doing that part of their job well.
If you can demonstrate you have the capability to resume your normal payments and bring your account current, your proposal sounds reasonable. But it takes a meeting of the minds of both parties for there to be an agreement.
What is unknown is how many times before people have presented the same sort of solution, received their passport back, and then fled the country. If that has happened before, the bank may be less willing to entertain such a solution in order to keep you around to pay.
You can always contact a lawyer in Dubai for legal advice about your situation.
By the way, how were you treated at the court appointment? What was the hearing like?
