An Administrative Nightmare
I wouldn't wish it on my biggest enemy

For the last week or so I have been what you might call missing in action. The reason for this is I have been somewhat embroiled in trying to resolve a somewhat testing economic situation. Allow me to explain.
A year ago, having lived and worked in Spain for the best part of twenty five years, I finally reached the age at which I could apply for a small pension. Unfortunately, shortly after that the world went Covid 19 mad, and to make matters worse my own none Covid 19 related health issues took a turn for the worse. Even worse still, the Spanish health service was refusing to treat me with anything more than some paracetamol. And so I came to Japan to get the treatment I needed. Why Japan? Well I am married to a Japanese national and as such have access to the healthcare system here. I have to say it was the best thing I ever did in a long time. They literally saved my life. But that is not what this is about.
In my absence the Spanish pension system began to pay my small, peppercorn pension into a Spanish bank account. However, the pension people failed to tell me that my application was successful. What's more, my Spanish bank also failed to inform me that money was going into my account on a monthly basis. Finally, after almost a year had passed I made enquiries with the Spanish authorities about my pension and they emailed me the good news.
Next up, when I contacted my bank to arrange to do some money transfers to pay some overdue bills as well as to buy some food here in Japan, the bank informed me that I could not access my account outside of Spain. They would not even tell me my balance, zero information. They told me to go back to Spain or to appoint a power of attorney in Spain to act upon my instructions.
Meanwhile, the local town hall where I lived decided to break the law and embargo all of my pension to pay off a very small old debt. The monthly pension income level below which NOBODY, not even the government itself can embargo your account, is 900 euros.
Here is how freekin crooked these people are. Say you have a small debt of 100 euros which you cannot pay. The government say that's ok, pay it off when you can. What they do not tell you is that they have the legal right to award themselves 5 percent interest plus administration charges, ad infinitum. So in not too long a period that 100 euros can easily become 1000,1,500 or 2,000 euros, or even a lot more. I have heard horror stories where people have lost their home in this way. They have the power to seize your house and put you and your family out on the street. Daylight robbery is what it is called.
Now because my pension was getting paid over the course of the year without me knowing, the balance grew to be in excess of that 900 euros. The town hall believes that that gives them the right to take it all! Have you ever heard of such thievery?
As yet all I can do is appeal and/or appoint a solicitor, which will cost me a tidy sum. Meanwhile I decided to contact the pension people to change the bank details to my bank in the UK. They refused on the basis that they can only pay it into an account where I am a resident. So now I have had to open a Japanese bank account just to try to stop the thieving swines at the town hall.
In the meantime, I did a power of attorney here in Japan and sent it to my legally appointed representative in Spain. She signed the document and then went to the bank. The bank now insist that she and I have to be in the same country and we both have to sign the document in each other's presence in front of a solicitor. So she has to come to Japan or I have to go back to Spain.
I am at my wits end with these idiots, all of them. It seems they will do anything to not let me have my small pension, after paying many tens of thousands into their system. I know that is not how it is, but that is how it feels.
To date, nothing has been resolved. I am still waiting to hear from all of them. And every time I contact them with a potential solution they come up with some cock and bull story as to why that solution is not a valid one. Grrrrrrr....
Oh well, trying to get back into the swim with Illumination Book Chapters, reverse engineering my Amazon published books to post here. A best seller would be nice and help to relieve the strain. I shall not hold my breath for that one to come to pass, but you can but dream.