“The law only works for those with money,” says Eulalia Chim y Pantí, as she reviews a copy of the complaint she filed with the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE). For several years, she has been unable to regain possession of her property, which she alleges was illegally occupied by the son of a former tenant.
This case adds to another property dispute facing the woman, who is also currently trying to recover a plot of land that belonged to her mother and which, she claims, was transferred through a sale allegedly carried out fraudulently.
According to the complaint of squatting filed with the Attorney General’s Office, the woman claims ownership of a property located in the San Antonio Cinta neighborhood, which she rented in January 2013 to Antonio Francisco Rafful Soberanis for 1,500 pesos per month.
According to her account, in 2018 the tenant informed her that he had lost his job and could no longer afford the rent, so they agreed that he would gradually remove his belongings. The owner acknowledges that, due to their good relationship, she allowed him to leave some items in safekeeping while he finished vacating the property.
However, around 2020, a neighbor informed her that someone was living in the house. After going to the property, she observed signs of squatting, although for several months she was unable to contact the occupant, whom she even tracked down through social media.
It wasn’t until 2022 that she was able to speak with a man who identified himself as José Rafful, the son of her former tenant. According to the complaint, the man claims that the house belonged to his father, even though the owner explained that the property was hers and had only been rented out.
The affected party states that she tried to reach an agreement to formalize a lease, but claims that José Rafful rejected the proposal, arguing that the house belonged to his family and that he would not pay any rent.
Later, she says, she contacted Antonio Francisco Rafful Soberanis, who told her that his son had the keys to the property and that he was the one living there.
The complainant states that to date she has not received any payment for occupying the house and that the occupant has carried out various constructions on the property without her authorization.
Because of these constructions, the affected party says in an interview with the newspaper, the individual refuses to leave, arguing that he must first be reimbursed for his investment. Eulalia, however, requests that these constructions be considered as payment for the rent he has been paying for the five years he has occupied the house. Although, in a mediation hearing they both attended at the courthouse, the man lowered his “offer” to 50,000 pesos to vacate the property.
“I have no money.”
Doña Eulalia explains that her lawyer recommended she hire a notary to evict the person from the property, “but where am I going to get the money to pay the notary? I have no money, unfortunately, I don’t. I live on my pension.”
She recalls that by raising pigs, they saved enough money to buy the property in San Antonio Cinta, which was ten meters wide. Her mother kept six meters (which is the one she allegedly transferred through deception), and she kept four.
Given these events, on November 25, 2025, she filed a formal complaint for the alleged crime of property dispossession against José Rafful and anyone else responsible. The case remains under investigation while the authorities carry out the corresponding procedures.
The woman says that, in addition to facing this legal process, she continues fighting to recover another family property, so she asked the authorities to expedite the investigations to prevent both cases from remaining unresolved.
Source: yucatan
