Turkmenistan woman sentenced to three years in prison by a north Cyprus court for stealing gold worth TL 316,000

A 37-year-old Turkmenistan woman, has been sentenced to 3 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of stealing gold jewellery worth TL 316,000 from a home where she worked as a cleaner while residing in north Cyprus illegally.

The verdict was delivered by the Lefkosia Assize Court on Tuesday where the defendant identified only as TH, was tried on charges of illegal residency and theft.

In delivering the decision, the judge stated that the defendant had abused the trust placed in her and committed a serious and widespread offence during the period she was unlawfully residing in the country.

According to the court’s findings, the incident occurred in September 2025 at a residence belonging to H.E. in the Ortaköy area of Lefkosia, where the defendant had been employed as a cleaner since January.

The court heard that TH stole various items of gold jewellery valued at TL 316,000 from a four-drawer bedside cabinet in the bedroom. The stolen items included one Republic gold coin, 4 Ata gold coins, 3 half Republic gold coins, one 14-carat gold bracelet and nine quarter Republic gold coins.

The judge noted that the defendant was located and arrested in Lefkosia on 1 October. In her statement to police, TH claimed that on 17 September she found 2 Ata gold coins in a box in the kitchen and took them, selling them the following day to a jeweller in Lefkosia for TL 63,000. She further alleged that she panicked and threw the money into a rubbish bin.

However, the court was told that the jeweller in question was identified and security camera footage examined, which revealed that the money was not discarded as claimed.

Further investigations established that TH had also sold two half gold coins to another jeweller in Lefkosia for TL 32,000.

When asked to account for the proceeds, she stated that she had hidden USD 3,000—allegedly obtained from selling 4 gold items and part of her wages—inside an air-conditioning unit at the house. A subsequent search failed to locate the money.

The court found that while four of the stolen gold items were sold, the whereabouts of the remaining jewellery could not be determined.

The judge further stated that the defendant had been residing illegally in the country for 87 days, from 6 July 2025 until her arrest on 1 October.

In assessing the sentence, the court emphasized that theft by an employee is a serious and prevalent offence carrying a maximum penalty of seven years’ imprisonment. The high value of the stolen jewellery was considered an aggravating factor.

“The defendant committed this offence by abusing the trust of the complainant, who had entrusted her with access to the home,” the judge said. She added that the Supreme Court has consistently underlined the need for deterrent sentences in cases involving abuse of trust, in order to protect public interest and discourage similar offences.

The court also took into account that the defendant entered the country for work purposes but subsequently became an illegal resident and committed further crimes while in that status, noting that such conduct could not be viewed leniently.

At the same time, the court considered mitigating factors in the defendant’s favour, including her lack of previous convictions, her age, the fact that she has two dependent children, her expressions of remorse, her apology to the court through her lawyer, her cooperation with police, and her guilty plea, which contributed to the early administration of justice.

After weighing both aggravating and mitigating circumstances, as well as the period the defendant had already spent in custody, the court sentenced her to three years’ imprisonment.