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Over 50,000 British ex-pats have invested in property in the Republic of Cyprus, hoping to find peace, tranquility and to start a new life in the sun; but in too many cases the dream descends into acrimonious litigation, in some cases life threatening physical assaults and blatant fraud. Conor O'Dwyer chose to move to Cyprus, but three years on is out of pocket to the tune of £100,000; in January this year spent two days in a Cypriot hospital recovering from a serious assault from the developer, and is no closer to having his money or property returned. Thelondondailynews.com was contacted by Conor O'Dwyer who decided to move to the Republic of Cyprus with his family who allege that the developer Karayiannas & Sons Ltd physically assaulted him, resold the house that was being built for his family to another expat. In June 2005 Conor O'Dwyer decided to buy 30 Ayios Sergios in the village of Frenaros near Ayia Napa from Karayiannas & Sons Ltd, off plan, a four bedroom villa for approximately £190,000 GBP. A dispute over the building of properties near to O'Dwyers which would affect privacy and the value of his home, and internal changes lead to a breakdown in communications and legal actions in the Republic of Cyprus courts.The chronology of events: - August 2005 a sales contract is signed and deposited at the land registry in the Republic of Cyprus to confirm O'Dwyer is the rightful owner of 30 Ayios Sergios, a first installment of CYP 39,000 is paid to Karayiannas Developers & Sons Ltd. - October 2005 Foundations laid for the villa - December 2005 The frame stage was paid £25,972.50 CYP £32,000 GBP
Once the first deposits were paid according to O'Dwyer he discovered that new properties had appeared near his plot that would have "..balconies and windows looking down onto our garden destroying any privacy."
O'Conor complained to the developer, "Karayiannas were clever; none of the photos they sent showed the changes that happened at the same time they laid our foundations. It was only when they failed to do the internal changes we requested that I got on the first flight over. It was then they gave us the new site plan," Conor O'Dwyer speaking on the matter.
The developer bizarrely in May 2006, without any prior knowledge by O'Dwyer had negotiated the resell of 30 Ayios Sergios to Michelle McDonald,despite Conor O'Dwyer being the beneficial owner of the land and the building at the Land Registry of the Republic of Cyprus. Around the start of February 2007 Michelle McDonald moved into the property, denying Conor O'Dwyer access to his home, and claiming the property was legally hers. Under Cypriot law Michelle Mcdonald does not have any legal right to the property. Today Conor O'Dwyer now based in Surrey, has undertaken a sustained campaign against Karayiannas & Sons the developers via YouTube and a website www.lyingbuilder.com. The case has featured prominently on state television in the Republic of Cyprus, and the Cypriot press with the Cyprus Mail running a front page story in January 2008 reporting the assault on O'Dwyer. O'Dwyer's website has become a magnate for disgruntled property buyers in the Republic of Cyprus, and this year they have organised themselves and will be staging campaigns including a picket outside of Alexandra Palace on 18 May at 3pm where the President of the Republic of Cyprus will be addressing the Cypriot Diaspora.
Thelondondailynews.com contacted Karayiannas & Sons Ltd office in Cyprus, who only spoke via a lawyer issuing a denial of all the allegations of physical assault and fraud: "Our client was acquitted of all criminal charges of assault despite the case being adjourned on numerous occasions. Mr O' Dwyer failed to attend court to give any evidence against our clients. Moreover it is imperative that we highlight that our clients have repeatedly offered the return of all monies paid by Mr O' Dwyer in regards to sums paid in relation to the contract of sale. Mr O' Dwyer refused the return of all monies but demanded compensation of the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Pounds, threats were also made against my clients, ie the website www.lyingbuilder.com." Lawyers acting for Conor O'Dwyer have confirmed the Attorney General of the Republic of Cyprus has charged Mr Karayiannas and two other individuals of grievous bodily harm (GBH) following the incident in January 2008.
The majority of property deals in the Republic of Cyprus pass without any problems, but increasingly ex-pats are being ripped off either through unscrupulous developers or via local lawyers, and according to a local journalist "being too trusting". Thelondailynews.com spoke with the Consulate General of the Republic of Cyprus Mr Evangelos Savva in London, who commented on the plight of Conor O'Dwyer: "this is the first case we have ever heard of physical violence being used. I underline and categorically state the majority of cases have never had problems in buying properties in Cyprus. The rule of law is respected and we are a law abiding nation. We condemn any actions involving violence and await the decision of the Attorney General in Cyprus on this matter." To date no money has been returned to O’Dwyer and Marios Karayiannas was quoted as saying “every time this is happening to me, from my experience you are not the first one, you are the 100 one". photo of Conor O Dwyer in a Cyprus hospital following the serious assault on him January 2008
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