Homeless Man Leaves £34,000 of Unclaimed Money
22nd July 2008
Some people lose money by accident. Some people choose to reject it.Here's a simple story of a man who lived a simple life, and apparently chose quite deliberately not to bother with money that he could have claimed.
He had £34,000 of unclaimed pension. He knew about it, but he didn't want it.
When he died in October 2007, no one was sure whether Polish-born Józef Stawinoga - who had lived in a tent in Wolverhampton for many years - had any family who were entitled to inherit his wealth. The matter was put in the hands of the UK Treasury Solicitor, who advertised for information.
Members of the TPR network are amongst those who regularly respond to Treasury Solicitor advertisements. In this case, it was another firm who eventually found the rightful heirs: three relatives living in Austria.
Read the full story HERE.
For a biography of Józef, click HERE.
The UK Treasury Solicitor's department that handles unclaimed money is known as the Bona Vacantia Division.
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