Expats take property protest to London

By Jean Christou

A GROUP of British expats frustrated with the judicial system in Cyprus protested at Alexandra Palace London on Sunday where President Demetris Christofias was addressing a gathering of UK-based Cypriots.

The protest was led by 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 with the developers.

Unable so far to receive justice in Cyprus, O’Dwyer decided to take his protest to London during Christofias’ visit at the weekend. Holding placards calling for justice and an end to corruption, the protestors camped out in front of the venue.

O’Dwyer was joined by the relatives of expats in Cyprus who are also experiencing legal difficulties over properties they have purchased on the island. Problems include non issuing of title deeds, structural faults, illegal building, or developers extorting immovable property tax and transfer fees, they say.

O’Dwyer said yesterday the protest went very well.

“We didn’t see the President ourselves but hundreds of guests came past our protest stand and accepted leaflets,” he said.

“Some were shocked at the severity of the cases represented but few were surprised with problems like the issuing of title deeds as their own families had fallen victim to this trap.”

He said the protestors were highlighting a broad range of issues and said it would be good to have the future support of the London Greek Cypriot community.

“Yesterday [Sunday] was a nice introduction,” he said.

O’Dwyer was badly beaten in Frenaros in January this year after taking photographs outside the house he owns in the village. The developers who sold him the property, and with whom he is engaged in a legal dispute, were later arrested and charged with assault. O’Dwyer, who details his entire case on the website lyingbuilder.com, spent over a week in Larnaca hospital.

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008

President Christofias will address the Cypriot Community at 3pm 18th May Alexandra Palace London. Unfortunately we had little notice of the President’s stopover but this rare opportunity is not to be missed. We look forward to this peaceful portest and will give President Christofias the respect his authorities have never shown us! If you would like to be represented at this event why not have your offspring or a friend to stand with us. The staff at Alexander Palace and the Metropolitan Police have been great and our agreed position is front and centre. I have requested a Police presence and barriers to enable close proximity to the event. Children will be present holding balloons instead of signs. As organisers we must insist that anyone intending to come let us know in advance. Why am I protesting. ASSAULT 1: Tricked by local prosecutors not to attend court. Attorney General letter 1st Nov 2007 ASSAULT 2: UPDATE 13th May 2008 recently when asked how I am I have always joked that “because of the dizziness I can’t do a double back flip on a high balance beam anymore.” It had never really set in what these thugs had done. Last Friday it was explained to me that I have Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) caused by the stamping to my head. (Bupa: please pass the bill on to KarayAnus) The local Police in Cyprus had without informing me reduced Grievous Bodily Harm to a charge of Actual Bodily Harm. I had phoned the investigating officer 3 weeks after the assault still complaining of dizziness. He informed me of the penal code and that amongst other things if I had “cut my finger” then it would have been Grievous. He was busy and encouraged me to write my letters of complaint. He also refused to charge them over the robbery of my phone and the robbery of the memory card from my mini cam that recorded the incident. That evidence escaped into the crowd despite my pleas to the police on scene. With a face full of blood in the centre of Frenaros, I was told to shut up and stand by the police car while they chatted to the thugs. I’m now reliably informed that the GBH charge will be back on but I’ve been reliably informed before. I have found out that to date there has been no indictments (formal accusation of having committed a criminal offense). This was my second assault caught on camera and history is repeating itself. I will not rest till the criminals are behind bars. This is now a fight for my European Human Rights. Do you think there is a justice system for foreigners in Cyprus?

UNLAWFUL SELLING OF MY HOUSE:

PRESS RELEASE: 9th May 2008

CYPRUS MAIL: 10th May 2008

High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus. 9th May 2008

Attorney General 23rd Jan 2008

Attorney General 1st Nov 2007

Letter to Jim Murphy MP - Minister of State and Minister for Europe / and MEP's

We have done an unusual thing here by putting our case online.  Our case is an open book to what should be an open and shut case in any law abiding EU country if only the police would investigate! Follow our case and use it as a litmus test of the judicial system and the property industry on the island.

Cyprus is not that big. My case is infamous within the industry.  Ask the main estate agents how they justify what has happened to our family.  Ask the FIABCI how he can write this* after my last assault which was front page news in Cyprus.  Sorry correction - that’s front page news on the English speaking press.  In our opinion the Greek speaking Media is censored. If they are not censored then they are racists or cowards. We are neither! Every Cypriot we have met not connected to the property industry is SHOCKED at our treatment as they had never heard of our plight. 

*Karayiannas use to display this logo on their site. They were not even members of the AIPP

Then they went down to this badge

And now they display this badge.

Check the membership websites for yourself. It's the industries job from now on not mine. But I will do you one last letter and see if internationally I can get the FIABCI to act and remove both this logo from their website and hopefully the clown who wrote this on their behalf. (Note: The clown reference was to the best of our knowledge)

 

We stayed silent for a year while Christoforos Karayiannas & Son Ltd with help from the Pittadjis law firm sold our house to another British family. In that year we took blow after blow as they lied in their statements to the court. With no criminal investigation. We came back!!

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Conor O'Dwyer
contact: conor@lyingbuilder.com