Legal Battle Looms Over Properties in İskele Owned by Greek Cypriots

According to Politis newspaper's report titled "Legal Battle for the Confiscation of Immovable Properties... Attack on İskele with the Orams Case," the Greek Cypriot Administration is concerned about the "illegal and uncontrollable developments" in recent years concerning Greek properties in İskele.

The newspaper reported that a group of Greek Cypriots filed a complaint to the police, claiming that their properties in İskele were "confiscated" by foreigners, and they are gearing up for a major legal battle in collaboration with the Greek Cypriot government, based on the decision in the Apostolides-Orams case.

The authorities, in response to the initial complaints, identified through the Land Registry the owners of plots where Israeli businessman Yaacov Afik (Jack) constructed luxury hotels, apartment buildings, and detached houses, the newspaper said.

The list containing the names of property owners was given to the police, and the police, in turn, contacted the property owners to inquire whether any sale/transfer transactions or transactions through the Immovable Property Commission were conducted for these properties, the newspaper reported.

The investigation is ongoing, and most of the contacted individuals have stated that the constructions on their properties were done "illegally and without their consent," according to the newspaper.

The report mentioned that the Greek Cypriot Administration aims to demonstrate, through its actions against these properties built by violating the rights of legal owners, the "confiscation" of Greek properties in the TRNC and also intends to prompt the Israeli government to take action on this matter.

The newspaper highlighted that the website of Afik's company showcases the projects, promoting "Caesar Resort" in İskele as the "Paradise in İskele" and claiming that 5,000 out of a total of 5,700 residences have already been sold.

The report pointed out that Afik also owns houses and apartment buildings in Dipkarpaz, Esentepe, İskele Boğazı, and Tatlısu, and the website offers language options in Russian, German, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish to facilitate buyers.

It is noted in the report that Greek Cypriots with properties in different regions might initiate legal procedures depending on developments.

The newspaper also mentioned that Afik has been missing for several months and highlighted that although he had a residence permit in South Cyprus until 2020, he has not been seen there for some time.

Afik has been in possession of a TRNC passport since 2017, and he used to travel between Israel and the TRNC via Ercan Airport and Istanbul, the newspaper said. It also indicated that the Greek Cypriot police could call Afik to testify about the constructions he made on Greek properties in the TRNC.

According to the report, Israel's stance on this issue is neutral, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in an interview with "ANT1" channel before his visit to South Cyprus in September that they do not impose any political restrictions on Israeli businessmen and they can invest anywhere in the world. He mentioned that Israeli businessmen can only not invest in countries where Israel is at war and collaborating with Iran is prohibited.