Stopping unlawful enforcement: seized, cursed or recovered, despite the ‘devil’s lawyer’

A Croatian journalist says €390.69 that had been unlawfully seized from her account was returned, but she still does not know exactly why the reversal occurred.

The money appeared in her account as a Fina transfer from a separate enforcement account. She said electronic citizen and debt records still did not show the decision behind the return. Because she had filed a submission with the court, she believes a court decision may have prompted it, although she had not informed Fina about that filing.

She also considers another possibility: that Katarina Zrilić, the creditor’s authorized lawyer, withdrew the allegedly unlawful enforcement action. But she says she would not place her bet on that explanation.

The journalist says the episode taught her how vulnerable people can be when they receive no documentation about debts, particularly as heirs. Had she not acted, she argues, the unlawful enforcement would have been collected and both the lawyer and Fina would have received fees. Her broader question is how widely this method is used, and how easily citizens can lose money if they do not know how to defend themselves.