Spanish Bank thieving? Caution

One Friday lunch time in April 2006 I left the Notary in Torrox Costa with a cheque for €18,000 after selling my flat. This was to be the deposit for my new permanent home in Spain.

I placed the cheque, which was made out in my name, into my handbag and left it there till the following Monday when I was to put it into my bank account.

On arriving at the bank I discovered I had lost the cheque. After a thorough search I phoned my solicitor who immediately contacted the bank to put a stop on it. I then went to the local police and filled in the appropriate form to record the loss.

I expected to pay a small fee to the issuing bank to write me out a new cheque.The bank confirmed that the money had not been drawn out of the bank and remained in their account.

It was at this stage that I learnt a very hard lesson in Spanish life.

The bank did not have to give me my money back and the only way I could attempt to get it back was to hire the services of a solicitor who would then have to take it to court and ask the court if I could have it my money back.

As I said at the beginning of this tale, all this happened 18 months ago. Since then I have tried every way possible to get my money back. I have contacted British MP’s EMP’s and 2 other solicitors. No one is interested in helping. The case as been to court twice with mounting costs to me and there is still no signs of my dwindling money.

No one can believe me when I tell them what is happening.

The money is mine, the cheque was made out to me, it has never been cashed, the bank are happy to confirm that MY money is still in their bank gathering interest which I am not entitled to, but I still can not have it.

Now in good old English law, and quite a few other countries, to permanently deprive someone of their property and assume ownership is THEFT.

We are supposed to be in Europe now and yet still we are coming up against really out dated laws that have no place in today’s society.

€18,000 is a lot of money and I have suffered great hardship and more financial loss trying to get it back. I know it was a really stupid thing to loose it, and as someone who is usually very careful with money I really do not know how I lost it.

I don’t know if I will ever get my money back, and if I do, how much I will actually get after everyone takes their cut. I just want to warn everyone out there that the loss of a cheque can be a very costly mistake