Larnaca lawyer sentenced to four years for defrauding €2 million out of client
Source: in-cyprus.com
A Larnaca court sentenced lawyer Giorgos Giangou, 34, to four years imprisonment on Wednesday for defrauding a client and attempting to secure €2 million in fraudulent legal fees through property seizure.
Larnaca Criminal Court found Giangou guilty on seven charges including money laundering from illegal activities and causing execution of documents through false representations. The court identified aggravating factors including premeditation and malice in his actions.
“Beyond the malice, we must emphasise that he is an officer of justice. Exploiting the friendship and trust the complainant had in him, he deceived him in the most malicious way. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated by the court,” said court president Loizos Mougis.
Elaborate fraud scheme uncovered
Court findings revealed Giangou devised a systematic plan to financially exploit the complainant, with whom he maintained friendly and family relations. The victim signed documents without reading them due to trust in his lawyer, risking loss of property worth millions of euros.
In July 2020, Giangou registered a shell company in Britain for £12 using his brother’s Revolut card. His brother was later cleared of involvement. The fictitious company had share capital of £1 with a director whose name belonged to someone serving prison time in Greece for fraud.
The shell company requested the complainant’s business convert shipping containers into refrigeration chambers for over €11 million. When the phantom company predictably failed to pay, Giangou filed suit on his client’s behalf, including documents specifying his own €2 million legal fee.
Giangou then initiated legal proceedings claiming this fee amount, freezing the complainant’s assets without his knowledge.
Previous fraudulent activities
The lawyer had previously extracted €4,000 from the complainant for a lawsuit regarding an alleged workplace accident and €6,000-€7,000 for filing a libel suit.
The court rejected defence arguments that withdrawing property seizure orders after his conviction should constitute a mitigating factor, noting this occurred due to court orders rather than voluntary action.
The court considered Giangou’s clean criminal record and personal circumstances as mitigating factors in sentencing.
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