Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Pennsylvania

can a copy of a will or bank statement of a resident of ghana be obtained free of charge from a lawyer or bank for a lawyer in the united states for a client he represents? would a will have a provision or clause stating money can only be transferred to another bank and no money be withdrawn prior?


Asked on 8/10/14, 7:28 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

As to whether you can obtain a will from Ghana you are going to have to talk to a lawyer in Ghana. I doubt one can can be obtained free of charge.

And why do you need a bank statement? US banks have rules. They do not share any information unless the person who has control over an account authorizes it. If the person is dead, bank accounts are closed and the any funds turned over to the executor. While the estate attorney may have a copy of a bank statement you offer no details as to why you would be entitled to it.

Same goes for the will - assuming the lawyer would happen to have a copy then who are you that you are entitled to it?

As to whether a will would have a clause in it like you describe, why would a clause like this be in the will? The function of a will is to transfer assets of a dead person to living heirs or beneficiaries and to provide an orderly winding up of the dead person's affairs. The function is not to move money from one bank account to another. I see no purpose in this and anyway, once a person is dead, the executor opens an estate account and it can be opened anywhere. If a trust of some kind is created, funds or other trust property can be held by the trust. While there can be restrictions on the trustee distributing trust funds, again, why would someone want to tie a trustee's hands by making such a clause?

Makes no sense. And your post makes no sense either. No money can be withdrawn prior to what? Funds cannot sit in bank accounts forever. They have to be distributed.

Either revise and re-post and direct your question to an appropriate lawyer or go and talk to a lawyer about what you really want because I cannot figure out what is going on here, if someone is alive or dead and who you are in relation to that person. Otherwise, with no relevant details and an incomprehensible post, this smacks of a Nigerian email scam. It would not surprise me if you got an email from someone claiming to be in Ghana advising that a deceased relative there has left you gazillions but you just have to send them some money to help you get it. If that's what this is, its a scam.

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Answered on 8/11/14, 12:57 am


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