Still paying for banking mistakes

Triggered by Joe Buttigieg's letter When Time Means Money For Bank Clients (April 9), and after hearing a very good radio programme, I feel that sharing my present situation with all readers would throw some more light on how arrogant banks in Malta can be.

More than two years ago I received a foreign cheque (from a country within the EU) as payment which was due to me. I went to the nearest bank and tried to cash in this cheque but was informed that as a bank standing procedure it would take up to 30 days to clear this cheque. In the meantime the money would be deposited and blocked in my account. Having no other option I accepted and left the bank with a smile.

Forty days passed and I phoned the bank to check on the progress of my cheque and if it had been cleared. I was informed that everything was OK and the money was at my disposal in my account. The following day I went to the bank and withdrew three-quarters of the total amount of this cheque - so far so good.

Another eight days passed and I received a call from the bank telling me that I should go straight back and return the money because, they said, the cheque was fraudulent. Having already made other commitments with the money and since that money was really owed to me I refused to give back any of the money.

Time passed and phone calls from the bank asking me to return the money continued to come although I always insisted that the money was mine as the bank had told me so a few days earlier.

More time passed and phone calls turned into letters which I received by the dozen. At one point I received a sanction letter signed by the manager of a different branch of the same bank granting me a loan in order to pay back the total amount of the cheque (please remember that I withdrew only three-quarters of the total amount of the cheque and the other quarter was blocked and kept at the bank).

To cut short a long story, they started legal procedures against me because I was not paying back this loan (which I had never accepted or signed).

I am not a lawyer although I had to employ one to defend me in court but I think this does not make sense at all. I am still paying for this bank error since I have been discredited and cannot take any credit from any bank so I have to forget changing my car or buying a house until this matter is settled.