Brits Warned Not to Buy Property in the North of Cyprus

Speaking to British newspaper the Daily Express, he said, “they should definitely be careful because they are going to a place where there is an occupation, an illegal occupation, and an illegal regime that cannot produce any legal acts, including in the field of the selling and buying of properties.

“If it is a transaction that concerns a title deed that is illegal, that concerns a property of a Greek Cypriot, with a lawful owner, but for which another title deed has been issued, and this is the title deed that is sold, then they have engaged in illegal activity,” he said.

Asked whether a British person who buys a property in the north which belonged to a Greek Cypriot prior to Turkey’s invasion of the island in 1974 could be taken to court, he said that “if the rightful owner initiates legal proceedings, then they might find themselves in a situation of having to face legal consequences.

“One cannot exclude that possibility … Even if they didn’t buy the property knowingly, that does not constitute an excuse, because the buyer would have to check whether the property sale is of a legal nature. It is as if someone is accepting an amount of money without checking where it is from,” he said.

Menelaou’s comments come after the Republic of Cyprus has in recent months arrested a number of European Union and third country nationals suspected of developing or aiding and abetting the development of Greek Cypriot-owned land in the north.