Property protest to greet Christofias

Cyprus Mail

British ex pats frustrated with an inept judicial system in Cyprus are to protest at Alexandra Palace London on May 18 where President Demetris Christofias is due to address a gathering of the Cypriot community.

A statement from the organisers said problems suffered by property victims range from the non issuing of title deeds, structural faults, illegal building and developers extorting immovable property tax and transfer fees.

Many of the victims are currently resident in Cyprus but will be represented at the protest by their offspring, the statement said.

Fronting the protest is Conor O’Dwyer, 38, from Surrey who bought a house off plan in Cyprus in 2005 and has since entered in to a lengthy legal battle.

O’Dwyer said: “Crooked Developers and Lawyers in Cyprus act with impunity. My developer has kept all my money and managed to sell my house to another family despite my contract being logged in the Lands Registry. I have been assaulted by the developers twice; the last was in January 2008 when I spent six days in hospital. Every month my lawyer chases the authorities for a criminal investigation into the reselling of my house and every month it’s the same. It’s stuck at the local level” .

By Jean Christou
(archive article – May 10, 2008)
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