What If You Committ A Minor Crime In A Foreign Country?
May 23, 2008, 5:24 am
#31
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: BRU
Programs: LH SEN, SN Gold, Eurostar Carte Blanche, BA, QF, AF
Posts: 6,856
My only experience here was a speeding ticket just outside of Berlin in Potsdam. The polizei were very efficient and I had to pay the fine right there (25 euro). They wrote a receipt on the spot. I do wonder what would have happened if I did not have the cash on me at the time.
May 23, 2008, 10:36 am
#32
Join Date: Jan 2007
Programs: CO
Posts: 238
Last year, MrHausfrau got a lovely picture of himself at the wheel of the rental car in Germany, in the mail after we got home. The speed limit, date, and actual speed was included in the letter telling him where to send the fine (in Euros.)
It cost more to bank-transfer the fine in Euros from our bank here in the U.S. than the fine. It's a good picture of him, though!
It cost more to bank-transfer the fine in Euros from our bank here in the U.S. than the fine. It's a good picture of him, though!
May 23, 2008, 1:47 pm
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Jupiter, FL
Programs: DL PM, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Silver
Posts: 29,844
Back in the day, we regularly carried bribe money in our shoes in the Baja.
The phrase "can we settle this here?" came in quite handy.
The phrase "can we settle this here?" came in quite handy.
May 23, 2008, 1:50 pm
#34
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SFO/SEA
Programs: Amex Biz Cent, Marriott LTP, Avis PC, Hilton Owners Diamond, AS MVP
Posts: 3,380
Our drivers in Pakistan often made illegal turns (no turn on red, illegal u-turns, etc) and were often pulled over...normally we just hand the driver a few 100 rupee notes ($1=68 rupees) and the driver hands it over with his license. He promptly gets his license back and we are on our way within a minute or so
May 23, 2008, 2:49 pm
#35
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Terra Australis Cognita
Posts: 5,350
[QUOTE=fone;9767191]
I'm sure Michael Fay would be interested in hearing more about this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay
May 23, 2008, 2:54 pm
#36
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SJO
Programs: CO Gold
Posts: 1,229
I was stopped for speeding and passing in a no-pass zone in Costa Rica (at least it was a no-pass zone according to the police office). He told me it was typically a combined 50,000 colones fine ($100) at the courthouse, but he'd let me off for 30,000 and could take the money and do the paperwork without the trip into town.
I opened my wallet with 20,000 (the rest was in my pants pocket) and told him that was all I had. He took it, smiled, and told me to have a nice day.
I opened my wallet with 20,000 (the rest was in my pants pocket) and told him that was all I had. He took it, smiled, and told me to have a nice day.
ok , end of rant
May 23, 2008, 3:24 pm
#37
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Louisville, KY, US
Programs: QF Plat - OW EMD | DL Gold / Starwood Gold
Posts: 6,106
I was stopped for speeding and passing in a no-pass zone in Costa Rica (at least it was a no-pass zone according to the police office). He told me it was typically a combined 50,000 colones fine ($100) at the courthouse, but he'd let me off for 30,000 and could take the money and do the paperwork without the trip into town.
I opened my wallet with 20,000 (the rest was in my pants pocket) and told him that was all I had. He took it, smiled, and told me to have a nice day.
I opened my wallet with 20,000 (the rest was in my pants pocket) and told him that was all I had. He took it, smiled, and told me to have a nice day.
Where were you driving in CR when this happened? Absolutely beautiful country with many great people, but I'm not so certain that I would want to rent a car there.
Sucks that it happened to you - what comes around goes around and hopefully he'll get his just dues.
Last edited by SDF_Traveler; May 23, 2008 at 3:42 pm
May 23, 2008, 3:30 pm
#38
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Louisville, KY, US
Programs: QF Plat - OW EMD | DL Gold / Starwood Gold
Posts: 6,106
May 23, 2008, 4:14 pm
#39
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: BKK when I'm not in Princeton
Programs: UA MP:1P for life, TG:Gold, CO:Gold
Posts: 2,017
A number of years ago I was pulled over for supposedly running a red light in Bangkok. The light was green, and I made a left turn, shortly after I was stopped. The cop was friendly, and told me what my offense was. He said that there was a sign posted just before the intersection that said "stop on red," but that it was written in Thai. I told him that I indeed read the sign, thank you, and that the light happened to be green. He then smiled, and said that the sign was referring to lights several blocks beyond the intersection! I figured it was a scam, asked him how much, he said something like 500 baht. I offered a hundred, and we settled for something in the middle. He wai'ed me, smiled again, and left. Afterwards, I went back to the intersection, and could barely see the lights the cop was referring to.
A day or so later, I told a Thai friend about the incident, and fully expected him to tell me that I was taken because I was a farang. However, he responded that 'of course, Thais all know that (the rule about the light) at certain intersections... it is just isn't written down anywhere.'
Another example of This Is Thailand.
A day or so later, I told a Thai friend about the incident, and fully expected him to tell me that I was taken because I was a farang. However, he responded that 'of course, Thais all know that (the rule about the light) at certain intersections... it is just isn't written down anywhere.'
Another example of This Is Thailand.
May 24, 2008, 9:31 am
#40
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: SJO
Programs: CO Gold
Posts: 1,229
As a matter of fact as a local to CR I can NOT believe ANYONE would! I mean, I am sort of a 40% 'rational driver' and even I have to work hard to prevent the rest of the maniacs from killing him me and this is with me knowing where I am going!
Lately a CR company developed GPS maps with "Costa Rican style addresses" so that alone helps but still.........
For any visitor to this part of the World, if you get a ticket you can
a) bribe the officer or 'pay it on the spot' which is of course the same thing
b) do the right thing and get a ticket, that way if the infraction was bogus he wont write anything and if you truly did something you contribute something to our country (in theory too of course)
Lately a CR company developed GPS maps with "Costa Rican style addresses" so that alone helps but still.........
For any visitor to this part of the World, if you get a ticket you can
a) bribe the officer or 'pay it on the spot' which is of course the same thing
b) do the right thing and get a ticket, that way if the infraction was bogus he wont write anything and if you truly did something you contribute something to our country (in theory too of course)
May 24, 2008, 5:05 pm
#41
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 620
[QUOTE=jpatokal;9770356]
I'm sure Michael Fay would be interested in hearing more about this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay
I think he was referring to vandalism AFTER Michael Fay got canned.
A minor offense in Singapore is something like littering. IIRC you have to do some sort of community service for littering(cleaning roads, etc).
I'm sure Michael Fay would be interested in hearing more about this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay
A minor offense in Singapore is something like littering. IIRC you have to do some sort of community service for littering(cleaning roads, etc).
May 25, 2008, 7:37 am
#42
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 1,056
. Even Japan will not allow certain pharmaceuticals to be brought in, I knew a girl who was visiting in Japan and had cancer and brought prescription pain medicine into Japan and spent 2 weeks in jail there before being released and suffered through 2 weeks of withdrawal from prescribed narcotics that are illegal in Japan.
May 25, 2008, 8:31 am
#43
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: KSU (Kristiansund N, Norway)
Programs: SAS EBD/ *G
Posts: 2,163
Norway
If caught doing minor speeding, minor smuggling or certain other misdemeanours in Norway, you will get a fine after a simplified procedure ("forenklet forelegg") which you have to accept at once (a couple of minutes reflection is allowed). You'll then have to pay the fine at any post office or bank within two weeks, I think. This procedure has the advantage, that the miscreant will not be listed in the national register of punishment and fines, i.e. still has a clean criminal record. If one doesn't agree about the fine it will be taken to court. If found guilty, one usually gets the same fine, plus court costs, plus a listing in the national register of fines. So most of us usually pays up. Fines in Norway can never be paid directly to a police officer.
For more serious offences one will be brought to a police station, where the case will be reviewed by a prosecutor (a police lawyer; i.e. a senior police officer with a law degree who can also act as a prosecutor in court). If he considers that a crime has been committed, he can impose a fine; the same day or after police investigation. If the miscreant agrees, the fine has to be paid, and is registered in the National Registry of fines. If he disagrees, the fine is sent to the court as the accusation. This was the case with singer Amy Whitehouse recently. She was caught smoking marihuana in her Bergen hotel room. She was arrested and given a fine by the on-call police prosecutor. She initially accepted the fine, but after having found out that she would not have a clean criminal record anymore, at least not in Norway, she feared being refused entry into the US, and claimed procedural irregularities by the Bergen police. She was allowed to withdraw her acceptance of the fine by the appeals court, and will have to appear in court in Bergen at a later day. If she refuses to appear, the court will probably convict her. The fine is likely to be the same if she is convicted, but as before court costs will be added.
When it comes to more serious crimes that cannot be settled by a fine, cases involving foreigners are usually fast-tracked, especially when the facts in the case are not disputed. Especially in drunk-driving cases (or as this is FT: drunk flying; something particularly affecting BA pilots flying LHR-OSL with a lay-over in Oslo, if a couple of well-publicized cases are to be seen as representative) this might still take a couple of weeks for the lab results to come in. Foreigners where there is a risk of absconding might be jailed in this period; posting bail is not really a concept here, Norwegians usually aren't.
It should be noted, as others have implied, DUI is a serious crime here. The legal limit is very low; 0,02 % unlike the 0,05 % or 0,08 % in other countries. Driving with more than 0,05 % carries a mandatory prison sentence, usually 21 days as well as a fine usually set at 150% of gross monthly income, and a two year suspension of the driver's licence. 0,02 - 0,05 % usually means a suspended jail sentence, the same fine and loss of licence for two years. If one is caught a second time within a five year period, one usually loses the driver's licence for life. The "good" thing for foreigners being jailed while awaiting sentencing is that this period is always deducted from the courts sentence.
For more serious offences one will be brought to a police station, where the case will be reviewed by a prosecutor (a police lawyer; i.e. a senior police officer with a law degree who can also act as a prosecutor in court). If he considers that a crime has been committed, he can impose a fine; the same day or after police investigation. If the miscreant agrees, the fine has to be paid, and is registered in the National Registry of fines. If he disagrees, the fine is sent to the court as the accusation. This was the case with singer Amy Whitehouse recently. She was caught smoking marihuana in her Bergen hotel room. She was arrested and given a fine by the on-call police prosecutor. She initially accepted the fine, but after having found out that she would not have a clean criminal record anymore, at least not in Norway, she feared being refused entry into the US, and claimed procedural irregularities by the Bergen police. She was allowed to withdraw her acceptance of the fine by the appeals court, and will have to appear in court in Bergen at a later day. If she refuses to appear, the court will probably convict her. The fine is likely to be the same if she is convicted, but as before court costs will be added.
When it comes to more serious crimes that cannot be settled by a fine, cases involving foreigners are usually fast-tracked, especially when the facts in the case are not disputed. Especially in drunk-driving cases (or as this is FT: drunk flying; something particularly affecting BA pilots flying LHR-OSL with a lay-over in Oslo, if a couple of well-publicized cases are to be seen as representative) this might still take a couple of weeks for the lab results to come in. Foreigners where there is a risk of absconding might be jailed in this period; posting bail is not really a concept here, Norwegians usually aren't.
It should be noted, as others have implied, DUI is a serious crime here. The legal limit is very low; 0,02 % unlike the 0,05 % or 0,08 % in other countries. Driving with more than 0,05 % carries a mandatory prison sentence, usually 21 days as well as a fine usually set at 150% of gross monthly income, and a two year suspension of the driver's licence. 0,02 - 0,05 % usually means a suspended jail sentence, the same fine and loss of licence for two years. If one is caught a second time within a five year period, one usually loses the driver's licence for life. The "good" thing for foreigners being jailed while awaiting sentencing is that this period is always deducted from the courts sentence.
Jun 3, 2008, 10:43 am
#44
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Terra Australis Cognita
Posts: 5,350
Q10. How can I bring Narcotics, if I need them by all means in order to treat my disease?
A10. If you need to bring Narcotics （Hydrocodone, Fentanyl and so on） into Japan with you by all means in order to treat your disease, you have to apply for a Special Certificate issued by the Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare to Narcotics Control Department, which is a Special Police for Narcotics and to receive it before you leave home. If you are found with Narcotics in Japan without a Special Certificate issued by the Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare, you can be arrested as a criminal on the spot, immediately, without a warrant in principle.
Emphasis mine -- a prescription is insufficient. If anything, the girl was lucky to get out in two weeks...
Dec 6, 2013, 2:17 am
#45
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 1
Shoplifting
Hello
I am 26 years old and i was caught to steal a dress 24 € from one store in amsterdam , Netherlands. Security guard call the police and they arrested me. The police took me to station where i said that i was guilty , and i signed a paper for paying a fine instead going to the court. I paid the fine and the police got me free. Also i paid a fine to the store too. It was my first time.
I know it was a silly thing and i am not looking for consolation. The only thing i want to know is that , what happened with my criminal record?
I don not know the laws here. I do not have a court day but do i need a lawyer to clean my record or examine my case?
Thanks in advance!
I am 26 years old and i was caught to steal a dress 24 € from one store in amsterdam , Netherlands. Security guard call the police and they arrested me. The police took me to station where i said that i was guilty , and i signed a paper for paying a fine instead going to the court. I paid the fine and the police got me free. Also i paid a fine to the store too. It was my first time.
I know it was a silly thing and i am not looking for consolation. The only thing i want to know is that , what happened with my criminal record?
I don not know the laws here. I do not have a court day but do i need a lawyer to clean my record or examine my case?
Thanks in advance!