A HOUSEMAID was yesterday remand in custody for a further three days on suspicion of stealing from her late employer.
The petite 31-year-old Filipina was first remanded for three days last Friday, after Judge Charalambos Charalambous agreed with defence lawyer Pavlos Erotokritou’s objection to the prosecution request for an eight-day remand.
But a new statement by the plaintiff yesterday saw Judge Lemonia Kaoutzani give a three-day remand extension, “in light of new investigations needed to be made”.
The prosecution are set to charge the woman on counts of theft – most notably for allegedly stealing cash and jewellery from a safe belonging to her former employer who had died a month ago.
CID Officers believe the woman had a key to his safe and that she stole a number of his belongings, fleeing after his wife and daughter discovered things missing from the house.
According to CID Constable Perseas Hadjileontis the daughter of the deceased man had told them that “the housemaid left the house while they were searching through his belongings a month after he died, and did not take her personal things with her”.
According to police investigations, the housemaid had filed a complaint with the District Labour Department a week before the alleged theft took place, saying that she was having differences with her employer.
CID officers eventually tracked her down last Thursday outside the District Labour Department. After searching her room at the her late employer’s house, officers reportedly found a handbag, belonging to the deceased employer, a pair of gold earrings and some other small items allegedly belonging to the daughter.
“When asked about the items in her room, the suspect replied that they weren’t hers and that she had no idea how they ended up in her room,” said the constable.
Investigating officers failed to find anything incriminating at the maid’s new house in Kaimakli.
When read her rights and arrested, the woman told officers “I never took anything from my madam.”
The daughter had initially told officers that she believed the cash in her father’s safe was between £5,000 and £10,000. She later told officers in a second statement that jewellery worth around £50,000 was also missing as was his cutlery collection worth around £1,200.
CID officers also believe that the suspect may have had accomplices, namely the three Syrian men living with her at her house in Kaimakli.
“We also believe that some of the stolen items may have been sent back to her home in the Philippines and we therefore request time to investigate this possibility,” said Hadjileontis.
