Page 1 of 2

British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 6:50 pm
by Paphos Life
A British woman who left an unpaid hotel bill of €1420 last year, was arrested on her return to Cyprus and will stand trial on March 17, philenews reports.It said the woman had holidayed at a five star Paphos Hotel but never paid the bill....

Read the article and chat about it below...

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:06 pm
by LouiseCastricum
Well done Cyprus!

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:21 pm
by WHL
:lol: How long before the daily mail, sun and the usual subjects, claim, she was set up, beaten up by the police, not had a fair trail, etc etc???? Only a matter of time

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:57 pm
by Kili01
Well this woman behaved very badly? If I remember right, the hotelier had done a lot to help her. I think that he allowed her to continue spending while staying at his hotel, on the understanding that she would pay her bill in full on her last day, before her departure to UK

In the event she managed to leave the hotel without paying.. Having done this she also managed to leave the island. Was she stupid to return to Cyprus expecting that the authorities here wouldn’t pounce on her when she arrived.?

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:58 pm
by Kili01
Well this woman behaved very badly? If I remember right, the hotelier had done a lot to help her. I think that he allowed her to continue spending while staying at his hotel, on the understanding that she would pay her bill in full on her last day, before her departure to UK

In the event she managed to leave the hotel without paying.. Having done this she also managed to leave the island. Was she stupid to return to Cyprus expecting that the authorities here wouldn’t pounce on her when she arrived.?

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:40 pm
by Chaddy
I know of a situation here where someone committed a criminal offence against his neighbours property..Very minor but still a criminal offence.The police said the two neighbours had to " sort it out "between themselves.Would the dispute between the lady and the hotel be a civil matter.

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:45 pm
by 71 Trans Am
It probably was a civil matter until she decided to leave the country and then turned it into a criminal matter - It would be hoped that they have confiscated her passport if they have let her out on bail

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:48 pm
by WHL
Chaddy wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:40 pm I know of a situation here where someone committed a criminal offence against his neighbours property..Very minor but still a criminal offence.The police said the two neighbours had to " sort it out "between themselves.Would the dispute between the lady and the hotel be a civil matter.
I guess it comes under stealing.

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:54 pm
by 71 Trans Am
From https://travel.stackexchange.com

Basically, you owe the hotel a debt. If you fail to pay it, there are civil law procedures to deal with that. The only way this could turn into a crime is if you deliberately tried to avoid paying the bill. Then it would be fraud.17 Mar 2013

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:32 pm
by 71 Trans Am
It appears that Cyprus takes fraud very seriously when it wants to and there are several examples online


Financial crime in Cyprus: overview | Practical Law
https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com

Offences are punishable by 14 years' imprisonment, or a fine of up to EUR500,000, or both where the person knew about the offence. The penalty is reduced to five years' imprisonment, a fine of up to EUR50,000, or both, for people who ought to have known that an offence was being committed.1 Jan 2019

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:34 am
by emgee
Many years ago, if you bounced a cheque with Phillipos near the Church, he used to display it between his two tills for the world to see.

Alan

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 10:04 am
by WHL
emgee wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:34 am Many years ago, if you bounced a cheque with Phillipos near the Church, he used to display it between his two tills for the world to see.

Alan
If you were given a bounced cheque, you could take it to the police, and they would go see the person who gave you it and prosecute them if they didn't give you the money. I remember this well

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 7:06 pm
by Kili01
It seems strange to me that the offence of effectively stealing goods or services is dealt with effectively by police and courts, yet there are individuals here, even those at the highest levels of society, for whom their non performjng loans, seems to be OK? So it's OK to owe a bank mega bucks with no fear of proper legal action. The bank then gets lumbered with all these unpaid loans which the rest of us In different ways are paying them off with all the new rules that banks now have to extort extra money from customers by charging them for any service required. Such as ordering a new cheque book in. Branch or even giving you cash at the counter from your own bank account. Unless one does internet banking.
Dee

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 8:58 pm
by 71 Trans Am
Kili01

I was not aware that you can be charged for withdrawing your own cash at the counter - I knew that certain cash machines incur a charge if they are not the banks own

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:12 pm
by WHL
Kili01 wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 7:06 pm It seems strange to me that the offence of effectively stealing goods or services is dealt with effectively by police and courts, yet there are individuals here, even those at the highest levels of society, for whom their non performjng loans, seems to be OK? So it's OK to owe a bank mega bucks with no fear of proper legal action. The bank then gets lumbered with all these unpaid loans which the rest of us In different ways are paying them off with all the new rules that banks now have to extort extra money from customers by charging them for any service required. Such as ordering a new cheque book in. Branch or even giving you cash at the counter from your own bank account. Unless one does internet banking.
Dee
You were always charged for a new cheque book, it isn't something new, the same goes for the UK and most other country's banks

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:27 pm
by Kili01
Yes, this applies to Alpha Bank at branch level. There is a fee of €3 if you simply want to draw money out of your account using the cashier and another charge if you want to transfer money from one of your accounts to the other using the cashier. A further extra charge should you want to apply for a new cheque book at the bank. If you can do all this on your own computer using the internet, there is apparently no charge except a reduced charge for the cheque book..there is another fee payable should you want a printed bank statement.
And so it goes on. Paying the bank for taking your money..
Dee

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:32 pm
by Kili01
WHL
Yes, there has always been a small charge for ordering a cheque book, but the current fees from memory are now €12 if you order cheque book on line. Charge of €20 if you ask when you are in branch..

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 10:29 am
by lefkes
Kili01 wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:27 pm Yes, this applies to Alpha Bank at branch level. There is a fee of €3 if you simply want to draw money out of your account using the cashier and another charge if you want to transfer money from one of your accounts to the other using the cashier. A further extra charge should you want to apply for a new cheque book at the bank. If you can do all this on your own computer using the internet, there is apparently no charge except a reduced charge for the cheque book..there is another fee payable should you want a printed bank statement.
And so it goes on. Paying the bank for taking your money..
Dee
I draw cash over the counter at Alpha bank every month including yesterday and have never been charged.
Lefkes

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 10:51 am
by WHL
Back on topic, a lot of scammers are very good at what they do, and are highly believable, so I can understand, how the Hotel were taken in, I'm sure this wasn't the lady's first attempt at scamming. So I hope the courts deal her a hefty sentence.

Re: British woman returns to Cyprus, arrested for failing to pay old hotel bill

Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2020 11:01 am
by Kili01
I do too! When something like this happens it reflects badly on the British population here as a whole.

Dee