Ksa22

I have some unpaid debt in KSA. After being fired on leave (illegal but therefore no exit visa) the bank inactivated my account, the payments bounced, and my emails were not answered. After dozens of attempts someone offered me a lump sum settlement, which I asked to reschedule due to loss of job, and then again the replies stopped. I would’ve kept making the scheduled payments had they not disabled my account.

Half a year passed since and I received a job offer in UAE. Nearly at the same time the bank reached out. They say it’s written off as per April, and when the bank contacted me so did a debt collector. I’ve asked for the original contract to know it’s not a scam, and the debt collector is offering lump sum or installments. There is no threatening with travel bans or Interpol.

I wonder if the timing is at all suspicious there, the job offer and the bank, it’s within days and the collector asks for payment before the 31st.

I wonder if it’s safe to go to any of the GCC countries. I’ve been told the laws have changed, but I cannot get a clear answer.

Going to UAE is the quickest way to afford to pay the debt, but not if I get into legal trouble.

nonthaburi

Who was the debt to?

When they got rid of you was your exit re-entry cancelled?

captainflack

I would never acknowledge debts with anyone from a GCC country. They have no legal leg to stand on outside in the free world. The debts are not enforceable. The last thing you want to do is acknowlegde the debt and negotiate payment because at that point you are accepting it.

Why risk going back to pay off a debt, when you can just tell them to go pound sand (they have loads of the stuff)? KSA is a dicatorship, and no legal rulings there are going to be enforceable anywhere in the free world.

Ksa22

The exit-reentry was cancelled eventually but I never received a final exit.

And because it would be nice not to have to deal with it anymore, negotiate a good deal, close the issue and make good money.

And agreed in the developed world, but are the Interpol threats you read online just that, threats? Or can you get in trouble on layovers outside of the GCC as well?

I’ve read multiple replies from debt skippers on this website but all the threads are too old to reply to.

Norm_uk

It would have to be a sizable debt before you would have problems at the GCC level. Often they just write it off after a period of time but there are GCC level shared intel and they can issue arrest warrants all over for people they really want to catch.

It would be advisable to check with a lawyer in the UAE first to see if you have any outstanding warrants or will have any issues entering before considering returning to the region.

Interpol generally get involved with serious criminal matters not unpaid personal debts by people who lost their jobs and had little response from the bank - I wouldn't take any such threats seriously on that front unless you're involved in something you're not telling us.

You mentioned the bank reached out to say the debt is written off? If this is the case you will have nothing to worry about as long as they provide official notification in writing - you can get that verified by a lawyer in the region once you receive it to make sure you're in the clear.

Ksa22

It is sizable, over 200k. The write-off I found out through some CC'd emails in what they sent me, but I think that's just for tax purposes. They are now threatening to forward it to the legal department, but I've been told by some debt agencies that cases get filed automatically. I am not holding out on information here, just a bit scared to get in trouble in the Middle East. It's not that I didn't try to pay it back but they closed my account when I did not return on my re-entry visa.

nonthaburi

I wouldn't risk it. That's a lot of money. I don't know about Saudi Bank's policies and it may vary from one to another.

There was a case of a Scottish guy banged up in Iraq recently over debt in Qatar. Interpol red notice put out by the Qatari bank.

Maybe Saudi banks do the same, maybe they don't. I wouldn't be coming to a neighbouring country and chancing it though.

Ksa22

Thanks all for your replies. Better safe than sorry