Deadbeat Diplomats Rack Up $17 Million in New York Parking Fines

By: EW News Desk Team   Date: 26 September 2011

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26 September 2011

Foreign diplomats visiting or residing in New York City owe the city’s administration nearly US$17.2 million in unpaid parking tickets and fines, a sum that may have grown last week in the aftermath of the United Nations General Assembly.

According to the New York City Department of Finance, $16.03 million worth of parking offences occurred before 2002, with $1.17 million having took place between 2002 and July 2011.

Egyptian diplomats were the worst offenders with $1.9 million in unpaid tickets, followed by Nigeria with about $1 million, and Indonesia owing around $750,000.

From 2002 to 2011, the worst offenders had been Angola (US$25,430), Nigeria ($22,795) and Indonesia ($21,668). Nearly every country owed the city something during this time frame, with the only notable exceptions being Western Samoa and the Vatican City.

Back In May this year, New York representatives Michael G. Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), Peter T. King (R-Long Island), and Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn) introduced new legislation that would impose sanctions against countries whose diplomats parked illegally in New York City and were negligent in paying their fines.

Currently, the law states that any unpaid parking fines by foreign diplomats would be withheld from the foreign aid and obligation contributions by the US to the countries at fault. However, this action does nothing for New York City’s budget deficit of $2.4 billion.

"New York City's budget is tight enough as it is, and foreign diplomats do not deserve a free pass at the expense of New York City taxpayers. I stand behind my legislation and will hold accountable those foreign nations with outstanding fines,” said Grimm at the legislation hearing in May.

The proposed legislation would see the US State Department denying the renewal of diplomatic licenses to any country with outstanding parking fines.

"Right now [the bill is] sitting in the foreign affairs committee, but we're hoping to move it forward,” said Grimm's Communications Director Carol L. Danko.

According to The Jakarta Post, Indonesian lawmakers and authorities have been embarrassed by the figures published by the New York City Department of Finance.

“It has embarrassed us,” said House of Representatives’ Commission I member TB Hasanuddin. ”We don’t understand how we could have gotten such high fines. We could have paid them because the money for the Foreign Ministry has always been channelled on time.”


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