The bailiff seized almost half a million zlotys from the account of the Białystok commune. It was not the commune that was in debt, but one of its residents who died. The deceased had no heirs. If the city had completed the formalities, it could have protected itself from the worst.
It is not known whether anyone is taking care of his grave, because he had no relatives at the time of his death. The resident of Białystok died six years ago, but his legacy is still a burden for his heir.
– PLN 470,000 was seized from the city's account to repay the debt of a person who recently died and left no heir – says Urszula Boublej from the City Hall in Białystok.
The bailiff seized almost half a million of the money of the inhabitants of Białystok, because the local government had to take over not only the deceased's property, but above all his debts.
How can municipalities protect themselves against bailiffs?
– If there are no heirs or all statutory heirs reject the inheritance, the commune must accept the inheritance. This inheritance cannot be rejected – points out Maria Tumielewicz, lawyer.
Municipalities can protect themselves against bailiffs. It is enough for the local government to create a so-called inventory, i.e. a list of things that the deceased left behind. – Thanks to this, we are liable for debts only up to the amount of what the deceased had – says Izabela Kozicka-Prus from the City Hall in Gdańsk.
It is not known why Białystok has not prepared this census yet. The city's mayor, Tadeusz Truskolaski, refused to talk to “Fakty” TVN. – The city had a lot of time to react appropriately. It filed complaints and these complaints were dismissed – notes Przemysław Małecki, press spokesman for the National Council of Bailiffs.
The mayor of Żerków in Greater Poland had similar problems. After the death of one of its residents, the commune inherited a residence worth PLN 1,700,000, but with a mortgage and debts greater than the value of the property. – As a commune, we lost about half a million zlotys – admits the mayor of Żerków, Michał Surma.
Sometimes communes inherit attractive plots of land and gold
However, such stray properties are usually a windfall for the local government. A ruined summer house by a lake in Kashubia will go under the hammer in Gdynia. Additionally, two attractive plots of land right next to the marina on the Martwa Wisła River. The queue of people willing to buy is long.
– We also had three falls in which there was gold. It was not an easy operation, but we finally managed to sell the gold. And it was not a small sum – admits Agata Grzegorczyk from the Gdynia City Hall.
Comment by Przemysław Małecki, spokesman for the National Council of Bailiffs
Only after the bailiff seizes the city's account and loses half a million zlotys, Białystok prepares an inventory of the deceased man. He hopes to get his money back.
– Possibly, it should turn to the creditors who received these funds, because the bailiff no longer has the collected money – says spokesman Przemysław Małecki. That is why Białystok councilors have just changed the budget for this year to take into account the loss of half a million zlotys.
Main photo source: TVN24