Business | Banking
Bad cheque offences should be considered individually
It's a tough time and authorities need to be more understanding, readers say. This is human life and not machines we are talking about, says one expatriate.
- By Sana Ayesha Arshad Community Journalist
- Published: 23:02 July 12, 2009
- Andrea Jurcikova says each case should be seen differently, and since this is a tough time, economically, the authorities need to be more understanding.
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
It's a tough time and authorities need to be more understanding, readers say. This is human life and not machines we are talking about, says one expatriate.
In the UAE, issuing a bad cheque is considered a criminal offence, and can result in imprisonment if the amount isn't repaid within a set number of days. But this still doesn't reduce the number of cases of bad cheques.
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Farhana Zaman, a Bangladeshi, said: "The time period allowed [for repayment] is not very long. If it was flexible then the problem wouldn't occur since most of the people flee the country because they are afraid of getting a jail sentence... In jail they will definitely not be able to pay back, so in this way the consequences are quite strict. I wouldn't say that there is any fair treatment but banks should give more time, maybe up to six months."
She added: "It is only a criminal offence if a long enough time period has been given along with sufficient warning, and people still don't pay. Maybe what can work is having a rule where people [expatriates] can deposit something from their home country as a guarantee."
Andrea Jurcikova, a Slovakian, said: "Each case should be seen differently. This is a tough time, economically, so the authorities need to be more understanding."
She said: "If someone cannot pay back then there is no other punishment left apart from a jail sentence. But what can be done is that the banks should carefully monitor the profiles of their customers, rather than giving loans to everyone."
Ala'a Al Ghazo, a Jordanian, said: "This is human life and not machines we are talking about, so there are a lot of factors that should be considered. The banks can try to create a better relationship between the customer and the person who actually needs the cheque. Also, the authorities should catch the people who are issuing cheques without any validity."
Mohsin Ahmad, an Indian, was the unfortunate victim of such a case wherein he was given a bad cheque, and the person fled the country before repaying the money. He said: "I think the company sponsors should be held liable along with the person who actually issued the cheque. The banks could also try to provide information about companies to potential customers, so that they know whether the companies are creditworthy."
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