# Is it legal to borrow a bunch of money from banks and leave **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-to-borrow-a-bunch-of-money-from-banks-and-leave/549951 "2010-08-11T17:31:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-to-borrow-a-bunch-of-money-from-banks-and-leave/549951/21 "2010-08-13T04:39:03Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > A recent news story here indicated just about anyone can obtain Montenegrin citizenship for “investing” in the country, the minimum investment being about the equivalent of US$16,000. Oops! The local story got it wrong. It said 500,000 baht, which is about $16,000. But _Business Week_ gives the correct figure of 500,000 euros, NOT baht, which would be about $663,000. Not so easy after all. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-to-borrow-a-bunch-of-money-from-banks-and-leave/549951/22 "2010-08-13T05:13:44Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > An aspect that hasn’t been belaboured enough here is that countries like France and Switzerland have reliable and effective legal systems and are not some sort of lawless paradise where debts can be escaped from with impunity. And if you go somewhere that is lawless enough to make recovering the debts difficult it is likely to be somewhere unpleasant or inconvenient. Well, I wouldn’t call the French effective, ever. Also the Swiss didn’t extradite Polanski… how much harder would it be to get someone extradited that’s basically behind on his loan payments? But aside that… you’re correct, he’d need to pick a country that doesn’t extradite just in case there’s an actual fraud charge against him. So, any of the gray ones [here](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/United_States_extradition_treaties_countries.PNG). ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-to-borrow-a-bunch-of-money-from-banks-and-leave/549951/23 "2010-08-13T05:20:51Z")
> [@GHO57](#): > > > [@Princhester](#): > > > > An aspect that hasn’t been belaboured enough here is that countries like France and Switzerland have reliable and effective legal systems and are not some sort of lawless paradise where debts can be escaped from with impunity. And if you go somewhere that is lawless enough to make recovering the debts difficult it is likely to be somewhere unpleasant or inconvenient. > > Well, I wouldn’t call the French effective, ever. Also the Swiss didn’t extradite Polanski… how much harder would it be to get someone extradited that’s basically behind on his loan payments? > > But aside that… you’re correct, he’d need to pick a country that doesn’t extradite just in case there’s an actual fraud charge against him. > > So, any of the gray ones [here](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/United_States_extradition_treaties_countries.PNG). You’re not addressing **Printchester** ’s point. The guy has two independent worries; that he will be extradited to face a charge of fraud, and that he will be sued successfully in, e.g., France for the recovery of the money he owes. This doesn’t require him to be extradited; it just requires the bank to be sufficiently bothered about the whole thing to trace him to France, and to instruct French lawyers. His plan doesn’t succeed unless he is safe _and rich_ in France. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-to-borrow-a-bunch-of-money-from-banks-and-leave/549951/24 "2010-08-13T05:35:45Z")
And besides which this is GQ not IMHO or the Pit: general abuse of the French isn’t a substitute for factual consideration of their legal system. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-legal-to-borrow-a-bunch-of-money-from-banks-and-leave/549951.md?page=1)