The President of the National Federation of Cypriots Peter Droussiotis and the Lobby for Cyprus have welcomed a British Court of Appeal ruling, which has vindicated a Greek Cypriot refugee who was claiming back his property – in Turkish occupied Cyprus – usurped by a British couple.
The Court decision relates to the case of Apostolides v Orams, in which Greek Cypriot Meletis Apostolides took the Orams couple to court, claiming his property rights over his property in the northern Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus where the Orams had built, illegally, a holiday home.
“We have all known for a long time on which side justice should be in this case. This has now been confirmed by every court which has considered this matter at a national as well as a European level. The Cypriot courts found in Mr Apostolides’s favour and this was subsequently affirmed by the European Court of Justice. The British Court of Appeal has now drawn a line under this matter by handing down a clear judgment upholding Mr Apostolides’s legal rights,'' Droussiotis has said in a statement.
“For thousands of families who have lost their properties, the failure of the Orams’ appeal provides hope. This judgment, which is final and not subject to appeal, constitutes a clear warning to all potential trespassers of illegally occupied land on the island of Cyprus. It also means that other similar cases can now go through the Cyprus courts and will be enforceable in the UK and in other member states of the European Union. Let us hope that this decision contributes to current political efforts to reach a just and lasting settlement on the island,” he added.
The Lobby for Cyprus said this is a very important judgment which re-affirms the legal rights of all Greek Cypriots to their lands in occupied Cyprus which the English Court of Appeal has confirmed will be upheld by the English Courts by way of the enforcement of Republic of Cyprus/EU judgments in the UK/EU against all those illegally occupying their properties such as Mr and Mrs Orams.
The judgment makes it once again clear that any attempts to pressurise the Greek Cypriots to give up their lands in favour of the illegal occupier, Turkey, will not succeed, the Lobby pointed out.
Lobby for Cyprus congratulated Meletis Apostolides and his legal team, Cypriot lawyer, Constantis Candounas, English law firm, Holman Fenwick Willan and barristers, Thomas Beazley QC and Colin West on their success in the Court of Appeal.
It has also urged all Cypriots to take all necessary steps to preserve their property rights in occupied Cyprus, including pursuing court actions against the illegal occupiers through the EU courts.
The Court of Appeal ruled that a decision by a Cypriot court, in connection with claims relating to Greek Cypriot owned property in Cyprus’ northern Turkish occupied areas, must be executed.
The Cypriot court had ordered the Orams to pay compensation to Apostolides, demolish the holiday home they had built in his property in the Turkish occupied village of Lapithos, halt all intervention on the said property and deliver it to its legal owner.
