Court of Appeal rejects release request from German woman accused of appropriating Cypriot properties
The Court of Appeal unanimously rejected a release request from Ewa Izabela Kuenzel, accused of appropriating Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories.
Court of Appeal: detention of accused over occupied properties remains in place
The Court of Appeal unanimously rejected a request from Ewa Izabela Kuenzel — who is accused of appropriating Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied north — to be released on bail instead of remaining in custody, according to reporting by Cyprus Mail.
The decision, dated 4 September, was made public on Monday. The court determined that the reasons cited by the accused do not constitute a violation of her rights and do not justify replacing her detention with alternative measures.
46 charges and property transactions in Kyrenia
Kuenzel faces a total of 46 charges, including fraudulent property transactions involving third parties, unlawful possession and use of properties without the consent of owners, and money laundering. The charges relate to property transactions in the Agios Ambrosios area of Kyrenia.
The accused has been in custody since July 2024, when she was arrested at Larnaca airport. According to reports, during a flight she had a conversation with ELAM MEP Geadis Geadis, in which she reportedly admitted to selling Greek Cypriot properties in the north.
The trial and release requests
Hearings began in March 2025. Since then, the court has rejected multiple requests from the accused for release on bail, despite her arguments regarding unjustified length of pre-trial detention and references to her clean criminal record.
Proposed bail conditions included payment of €300,000 in cash as a guarantee, residence at a specific hotel in Nicosia, and regular reporting to the police.
The Court of Appeal's reasoning
The Court of Appeal rejected the claim of unjustified delay, noting that the complexity of the case and the volume of evidence justify the total duration of the detention.
"The addition of a witness, the addition of evidentiary material of the kind referred to, the fact that testimony from a number of witnesses from abroad is expected, in light of the disputed facts as they emerge from the indictment, as well as the nature of the charges, do not support such a finding," the decision states.
With regard to the claim that the accused has already served a period of detention equivalent to a three-year sentence, the court clarified that it is not possible at this stage to predict the possible sentence.
The Court of Appeal concluded that Kuenzel has not demonstrated a violation of her human rights, rejecting all grounds of appeal in their entirety and confirming the original decision of the District Court of Nicosia.
Source: Cyprus Mail