The Limassol Criminal Court handed immediate prison sentences today to two women, aged 45 and 53, who pleaded guilty to defrauding more than 20 landowners of over €300,000 through false promises of compensation and property sales in the occupied territories, mainly in the Famagusta district.
The 45-year-old received six years in prison on money laundering charges and three years on charges of acquiring proceeds from illegal activities. The court also took into account two pending cases against her before the Limassol District Court. The 53-year-old was sentenced to 12 months without suspension. Both sentences run from the date each defendant was remanded in custody.
The 45-year-old admitted 16 charges — 12 of obtaining goods by false pretences and four of money laundering. The 53-year-old admitted two charges of fraud. The offences were committed between 2023 and 2025.
The two women targeted landowners — most of them relatives of one another — by promising either compensation through the so-called “Compensation Committee” or assistance with selling properties in the occupied north. Victims paid in cash or through the Revolut platform, purportedly to cover valuation and procedural costs. The 45-year-old posed as a lawyer with connections in the occupied territories, while the 53-year-old claimed to have contacts with a Greek Cypriot investor who was buying properties there.
The court described the 45-year-old’s conduct as systematic and calculated, saying she extracted thousands of euros from complainants by convincing them she was acting in their interests, constructing elaborate false scenarios to win their trust and persuade them to proceed with property sales. The court noted her behaviour showed coldness and a persistent element of deceit.
The unanimous ruling stressed the seriousness of the offences and noted that such financial crimes involving the deception of victims are on the rise.
In mitigation, the court took into account both defendants’ guilty pleas, apologies and expressions of remorse. The 53-year-old, who defrauded victims of close to €4,000, has paid €1,500 in compensation and stated her intention to pay the remaining €2,500 after her release.
