Over 200 expatriates have been placed on the exit control list (ECL) since January this year, according to a top official at GDNPR.
Ministry of Interior’s Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa confirmed that Bahrain would continue to allow people on ECL to remain in the country as legal residents.
“The GDNPR does not have any objection against the renewal of residence permits for expatriates residing in the Kingdom or allowing them mobility from one employer to another in compliance with applicable laws even when they are banned from travelling reliant upon judicial orders from the Ministry of Justice as a result of their indebtedness to others, and revealed that the total number of applications received for this purpose since the beginning of the current year to the present day has reached 200 applications,” Shaikh Rashid explained.
The Chairman of Bankers Association of Bahrain (BAB) Abdulkarim Bucheery during a monthly Meet the Press told reporters that no bank in Bahrain wants to put ban on travelling on any foreigner. In case of outstanding loans, he said, banks want to see the settlement of the accounts as at end of the day it is shareholders money.
Other bankers also supported the stance of the BAB Chairman and said despite sympathy in certain deserving cases, the banks still need to see the loan is settled in case someone wants to leave the country for good.
