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| British widow's house-sale money locked up in Cyprus | British widow's house-sale money locked up in Cyprus |
| (12 days later) | |
| Sharon Connor lost her husband suddenly when he was struck down by a heart attack, aged just 54, last year. Now, when she had hoped things might be looking up, she has found herself trapped in another nightmare, becoming arguably one of the unluckiest victims of the Cyprus banking crisis. | Sharon Connor lost her husband suddenly when he was struck down by a heart attack, aged just 54, last year. Now, when she had hoped things might be looking up, she has found herself trapped in another nightmare, becoming arguably one of the unluckiest victims of the Cyprus banking crisis. |
| Connor's €183,000 (£155,000) – the proceeds from her house sale – is locked out of reach after it landed in her Bank of Cyprus account on the island at lunchtime on Friday 15 March. | Connor's €183,000 (£155,000) – the proceeds from her house sale – is locked out of reach after it landed in her Bank of Cyprus account on the island at lunchtime on Friday 15 March. |
| In the early hours of Saturday 16 March it was announced that the island's savers would have to hand over a slice of their cash as a condition of the EU bailout – freezing her account and leaving her money in limbo. | In the early hours of Saturday 16 March it was announced that the island's savers would have to hand over a slice of their cash as a condition of the EU bailout – freezing her account and leaving her money in limbo. |
| Connor fears she could lose €50,000 (£42,000) as a result of what has been described as a raid on the savings of the island's most wealthy depositors. | Connor fears she could lose €50,000 (£42,000) as a result of what has been described as a raid on the savings of the island's most wealthy depositors. |
| And the clock is ticking, because she has had her offer on a house in Kent accepted and she needs the money tied up in Cyprus to fund the purchase. | And the clock is ticking, because she has had her offer on a house in Kent accepted and she needs the money tied up in Cyprus to fund the purchase. |
| Her story shows that it is not just ordinary hard-working Cypriots and wealthy Russian oligarchs being punished by the raid on bank deposits. Britons such as Connor, who lived with her husband Gary on the island for eight years until his death in January 2012, have also been caught up. | Her story shows that it is not just ordinary hard-working Cypriots and wealthy Russian oligarchs being punished by the raid on bank deposits. Britons such as Connor, who lived with her husband Gary on the island for eight years until his death in January 2012, have also been caught up. |
| She told Guardian Money it was "totally unjust" that she was being penalised when she doesn't even live in Cyprus now and her funds are not savings, but from the sale of a house – and were in her account for less than a day before the bank levy was announced. | She told Guardian Money it was "totally unjust" that she was being penalised when she doesn't even live in Cyprus now and her funds are not savings, but from the sale of a house – and were in her account for less than a day before the bank levy was announced. |
| "It's making me ill," says the 55-year-old, who has two grown children and five grandchildren and is currently living with her sister in Tonbridge, Kent. "I felt things were moving forward: on 13 March I was offered a job, which I start on Monday; on 14 March the offer was accepted on the house; and on 15 March the sale went through. I thought: 2013 is going to be my year. And then on 16 March I hit the floor with this news." | "It's making me ill," says the 55-year-old, who has two grown children and five grandchildren and is currently living with her sister in Tonbridge, Kent. "I felt things were moving forward: on 13 March I was offered a job, which I start on Monday; on 14 March the offer was accepted on the house; and on 15 March the sale went through. I thought: 2013 is going to be my year. And then on 16 March I hit the floor with this news." |
| Connor and her husband had lived in Welling, near Dartford, Kent, for more than 20 years. In 2004, they sold their house to finance their dream of moving to Cyprus to run a scuba-diving school, with the plan of retiring there. The couple bought an existing business and a house in Paralimni, in the district of Famagusta; eight years later, in January 2012, Connor came home from work to find her husband dead in bed from a heart attack. "There were no warnings at all," she says. | Connor and her husband had lived in Welling, near Dartford, Kent, for more than 20 years. In 2004, they sold their house to finance their dream of moving to Cyprus to run a scuba-diving school, with the plan of retiring there. The couple bought an existing business and a house in Paralimni, in the district of Famagusta; eight years later, in January 2012, Connor came home from work to find her husband dead in bed from a heart attack. "There were no warnings at all," she says. |
| She closed the scuba-diving business and decided to move back to the UK, taking "a huge hit" on their four-bedroom house in Cyprus to sell it: the property went on the market for €230,000 and sold for €183,000 to a cash buyer, with half of the money paid in euros and half in sterling. | She closed the scuba-diving business and decided to move back to the UK, taking "a huge hit" on their four-bedroom house in Cyprus to sell it: the property went on the market for €230,000 and sold for €183,000 to a cash buyer, with half of the money paid in euros and half in sterling. |
| The money was paid into two Bank of Cyprus accounts (one opened specifically for the transaction) on Friday 15 March, a couple of hours before close of business, so there wasn't enough time to move the cash that day. | The money was paid into two Bank of Cyprus accounts (one opened specifically for the transaction) on Friday 15 March, a couple of hours before close of business, so there wasn't enough time to move the cash that day. |
| "I gave instructions via email on the afternoon of 15 March for the money to be transferred to my account in the UK on the next working day. But it all hit the fan on Saturday 16 March. My son [who lives in Cyprus] and my representative went to the bank on 28 March [the day the banks reopened] in order to sign the papers but were told my account was frozen." | "I gave instructions via email on the afternoon of 15 March for the money to be transferred to my account in the UK on the next working day. But it all hit the fan on Saturday 16 March. My son [who lives in Cyprus] and my representative went to the bank on 28 March [the day the banks reopened] in order to sign the papers but were told my account was frozen." |
| As a result of the problems, Connor fears she will lose the three-bed semi she hopes to buy in East Malling. "This is not deposit savings – it's from the sale of a house. To me, it's a case that's different." | As a result of the problems, Connor fears she will lose the three-bed semi she hopes to buy in East Malling. "This is not deposit savings – it's from the sale of a house. To me, it's a case that's different." |
| Bank of Cyprus customers with deposits of more than €100,000 learned last weekend that 37.5% of any money they hold over that threshold will be converted into shares, which are currently almost worthless. Up to a further 22.5% of their savings will be put into a fund that earns no interest and could be confiscated should the bank need further funds. | Bank of Cyprus customers with deposits of more than €100,000 learned last weekend that 37.5% of any money they hold over that threshold will be converted into shares, which are currently almost worthless. Up to a further 22.5% of their savings will be put into a fund that earns no interest and could be confiscated should the bank need further funds. |
| The remaining 40% of large deposits at the Bank of Cyprus will be "temporarily frozen for liquidity reasons", but will continue to accrue interest, it was announced. | The remaining 40% of large deposits at the Bank of Cyprus will be "temporarily frozen for liquidity reasons", but will continue to accrue interest, it was announced. |
| Connor's two accounts will in effect be combined and she therefore stands to lose as much as €50,000, with no indications as to when she will be able to access the remainder of her money. | Connor's two accounts will in effect be combined and she therefore stands to lose as much as €50,000, with no indications as to when she will be able to access the remainder of her money. |
| She has emailed everyone, from David Cameron to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, about her plight, and has set up a Facebook page called Gary & Sharon v Merkel. | She has emailed everyone, from David Cameron to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, about her plight, and has set up a Facebook page called Gary & Sharon v Merkel. |
| She says: "2012 was a horrendous year. I was married for 32 years and we did everything together. I feel like my right arm has been cut off with my husband taken from me. Then, for this to happen and to be kicked in the teeth again …" | She says: "2012 was a horrendous year. I was married for 32 years and we did everything together. I feel like my right arm has been cut off with my husband taken from me. Then, for this to happen and to be kicked in the teeth again …" |
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