A SHOPKEEPER was incensed when I tried to give him a check for SR 900. He exclaimed, “We don’t accept checks. The owner of this shop terminated my colleague for the same reason. The poor man was sent out on an exit-only visa and never even got his end of service benefits.”
I understood the shop owner’s position at once. It is true that many checks for large sums of money have been written and not a riyal paid upon presentation. Many citizens and expatriates have been burned by bad checks. It is also unfortunately true that the dishonest and unprincipled individuals who write the bad checks are confident that they will escape punishment.
Our system and the prolonged process of seeking justice give them ample time to maneuver and to get around the law.
It was apalling to hear officials in the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) saying that the number of bad checks is beyond counting. The officials made matters worse by adding that many checks written here in the Kingdom have absolutely no credibility.
The majority of businesses and people in the Western world do business by using checks. This way of transacting business is easier, safer and more convenient for bothå buyer and seller. In addition, using checks minimizes money laundering, theft and other forms of dishonesty. I can’t imagine the amount of damage that will be done to our economy if businesses reach the point of having to refuse payment by check. Nor can I find fault with any business for refusing to take part in a transaction that involves checks. It is well past time that the government step in to solve the problem of bad checks and impose harsh punishment on those who write them.
My own opinion is that bad checks should have the same legal treatment as bribery, forgery, smuggling and drug trafficking: In another words they should be treated as a very serious — and harshly punished — criminal offense.
