Cyprus/EU

EU court supports Greek Cypriot claim to property

Article published on the 2009-04-28 Latest update 2009-04-28 13:18 TU

Flags of Northern Cyprus and Turkey some 150 km east of Nicosia, in the Turkish-administered northern part of Cyprus
(Photo: Reuters)

The European Court of Justice on Tuesday supported a claim by a Greek Cypriot to restitution for lost land.

Meledis Apostolides lost land when forced to leave the north of Cyprus during the Turkish invasion of 1974 and a British couple, Linda and Orams, subsequently built a holiday home on the land.

At the time around 170,000 Greek Cypriots moved to the south of the island, abandoning their land to the Turkish advance. Much of the land was then sold by Turkish Cypriots to foreigners.

Apostolides took the case to a British court to enforce a 2005 ruling from Nicosia that had ordered the couple to demolish the home and pay compensation.

The British court then sent the case to the EU court to rule on whether decisions handed down in Nicosia were applicable to the Turkish north.

Tuesday's ruling will probably strengthen the claim of other Greek Cypriots to compensation.