Hi,

I have read a few of the debt recovery questions and threads and lots of good information, however, everyone is a little different which brings me to my query. In my case I did not do a runner from any debt and tried to settle everything legally before I left.

In 1996 while working out in UAE I bought a vehicle on finance (Oman Bank renamed to Mashreq Bank now were the financiers). I made the repayments regularly until I lost my job a couple of years later when the company was sold and the new owners wanted their own people in. I had difficulty making the rest of the payments and some debt accrued but I managed to bring my payments up to date by bringing money from the UK.

In mid 1998 I decided to leave the UAE and return to the UK so contacted the bank and agreed to return the vehicle to them to sell it off and deduct what was owed to them and give me the balance of the money as the vehicle was worth at least double the outstanding amount.

For a while upon my return to the UK (Northern Ireland) I did not hear anything from them until a few years later when I received a threatening letter from some agency/solicitor (I really cannot remember). I called them and they threatened me with court cases and arrest upon travelling to any Mid east country.

I did explain that it was the bank that owed me money and it seems they were asking for the full amount of the remaining debt plus interest which made me to believe that the vehicle was either sold for a small fraction of its value or for just a nominal amount which again means I was defrauded by the bank or the person who was dealing with the case.

The person who I spoke to was unable to provide any paper work.

In the meantime I traveled to Oman and Kuwait in 2003; but now a shade over 19 years since I have left UAE I have received letters from a solicitor in Manchester threatening me with legal action within 7 days if I do not settle the debt or contact them to settle the debt. I live in Northern Ireland and own my own property. I am also the nominal director of a company registered in England (I do not own the company nor receive any benefits from it).

What is the general advice that I should follow? Ignore the letters or write to the UK solicitor asking for all the documents in English?

the solicitors seem to operate from a small office in Manchester and a search showed another solicitor registered there so I assume it is one of those solicitor offices that uses various names although the lady in question seems to have been registered by the SRA.

I strongly deny owing any money and again strongly believe that I am owed money. The vehicle was valued at over £4000 while the debt was about half that (in UAE Dirhams).

By the way, I have no desire to return to that country due to a lot of bad experiences and although I have been offered work a number of times (companies contacting me directly) including from trusted friends, I have refused to entertain the thought of ever going back there.

Sorry for the long post but I thought it is better to provide all the information in the beginning.

Cheers and thanks in advance for any help, direction and advice.

Ignore!!

Read the letter properly

It doesnt say WILL anything

Thanks for the quick reply.

As you mentioned, it does not say they 'WILL' anything, however, it does say 'we have been instructed to commence legal proceedings against you. If for any reason you dispute the claim being made against you, please provide us with details so that we can investigate this matter further'.

It does go on to say that 'their client may have instructed the matter to police and therefore my travels to GCC countries may be restricted.' (the bold italics are mine).

I do not care about any 'may' but my wife is panicking a little especially if there is any Interpol involved (which UAE seems to be very fond of using). We do travel quite frequently around Europe.

I ignored the first letter and a fortnight later got the second one giving me 7 days to respond. Feel like telling her to stick her head down the toilet and flush it off. Alternatively, I suppose I could engage the other solicitor in that office (using a different solicitor firm name) to pursue the bank for fraudulent pursuance of debt. That would be really funny now since technically they are a different solicitor firm

I could instruct my dog to sit..if it does...

Forget the interpol crap

Its not true and has never been proved

Other than by that one certain website

Who scare people into paying them money to 'defend' them

99% of the stuff there esp the court cases are patsy cases

The UAE authorities has limited powers to collect debts from abroad and worry that they are being targeted as they dont have suitable agreements with other countries so they can ask Interpol to place people on a red list

but guess what? Interpol dont give a rats about UAE debt unless the agreeemnt has certain terms applied to it and many dont.

Also the UAE has big trouble reaching the international benchmarks for debt collection, esp when it comes to european countries so aagin no-one else is interested and wont be until they change their habits and laws.

They can go swivel and unless you go back to any of the UAE states what they threaten will come to nothing.

DO NOT RETURN THERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

When you say "Interpol dont give a rats about UAE debt unless the agreeemnt has certain terms applied to it and many don't" what do you mean?

Reason i ask is i received one of these 'threats' from a UAE bank recently (an old 2015 CC debt - same story as everyone else).

They're threat stated they were filing a civil action and imposing a travel ban followed by general threat style text on how that will ruin your chances of travel (interpol etc)

- about a week later a general idrww email arrived.

Am i right to think this is all threats, as i'm possibly traveling very soon?

Well, I for one have not heard anything any more but I am sure in a few years time another letter will arrive. Yes, they are chancing their arm and I for one don't give a rat's arse.

I have travelled and will be travelling around Europe and since my last post I have been to a number of European countries.

Their BS is just that, BS and scare tactics. You could file a case against the solicitor for harassment if they keep on sending you letters or calling you. Under no circumstances provide your phone number.

1 hour ago, liggerty said:

 

When you say "Interpol dont give a rats about UAE debt unless the agreeemnt has certain terms applied to it and many don't" what do you mean? Reason i ask is i received one of these 'threats' from a UAE bank recently (an old 2015 CC debt - same story as everyone else). They're threat stated they were filing a civil action and imposing a travel ban followed by general threat style text on how that will ruin your chances of travel (interpol etc) - about a week later a general idrww email arrived. Am i right to think this is all threats, as i'm possibly traveling very soon?

 

Youshould always block and bounce all emails and texts

Just so you know..... the Limitation  period in the UAE for bounced cheques is 3 years.

Given that the majority of the cases being brought to the UK are off the back of such action, or in absence of such action, that is a rather powerful argument.

Enjoy.

Thats good to know, the security cheque is what was mentioned

Go to Practical Law website... thats where CWD go... the info is there

By the way... it is also against the Law of the Central Bank of the UAE in the first place to take a blank cheque as security for a loan/credit card. Has been since 2012. 

I wuldnt depend upon that in a UAE court.. but i would raise in a UK one...CWD want the laws of a draconian dark ages authority to apply here... ! then fine.... tht also means their fees are restricted !!!!!!!!!!

This cheque would of been written around 2006, guessing the new rules will apply anyway

i dont know.

Limitation is 15 years otherwise but you will need to know the date they attempted encashment  and for what amount

no idea on the date if they attempted to cash it, if i remember right though it wasn't blank and the figure is less than owed

I have no idea sorry.

where are you at with the claim now?

On ‎29‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 14:38, dx100uk said:

Youshould always block and bounce all emails and texts

 

I wouldnt do that. Dont reply for sure until b post and official... but you want to know everything they are sending.

In UAE law they can inform certain matters by email.

no you block and bounce

how do they ever know the email gets there

or the phone has not been passed on 

sounds like to me your are touting for the enemy here.

dx

their mails end up in spam anyway, i just like to see what craps in there

nothing to do with what the debt is about at all.

you should never respond to emails nor texts

block and bounce them.

that has always been CAG's mantra since day one not MINE alone.

We try to be careful with our use of words so they are not misconstrued.

The dca chasing people will do the opposite and use vague phrases to try and make you read into what they say as being somehting else, same way as "mind reading" magicians do.

BLOCK the emails so they know they arent getting through otherwise they can claim that a particular communication has been lawfully served by sending an email. No good you saying it went to spam, that is like saying I didnt receive a letter through the post becasue I binned it without reading it.

Make them work for the money the UAE banks are paying them, they will send proper letters if it is important but they wills top sending vast quantities of harassing material because it wont be economically viable.

Lasl;y English law is waht counts here, not UAE law which is why we say they are toothless tigers.

even getting a court judgement back there means nothing in an English court.

If the law of one country applied in another anyone who has ever had  sex with the lights on would end up in court in Virginia