Cypriot Government Condemns Cherie Booth's Involvement In Property Case

by Lorys Charalambous, Tax-News.com, Cyprus

05 January 2006

The Greek Cypriot government has reacted angrily to reports that Cherie Booth, a leading barrister and wife of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is defending a British couple in a politically sensitive case involving property rights in the Turkish-occupied part of the divided island.

According to reports in the British media, Ms Booth's chambers, Matrix, last month confirmed that she would be heading the defence of David and Linda Orams, who were accused in a Cypriot court in April of illegally occupying an originally Greek Cypriot property in the north of the island. The couple were ordered to demolish their home and return the property to Meletis Apostolides, the Greek Cypriot who owned the property prior to the Turkish invasion in 1974.

As the Greek Cypriot ruling cannot be enforced in northern Cyprus, lawyers lodged the judgment with the British High Court. This means that the decision can be applied against the Orams' assets in Britain. It is believed that Ms Booth, who specialises in European human rights law, took up the Orams' appeal after being approached by their London-based Turkish-Cypriot lawyers.

Whilst Downing Street has insisted that Ms Booth is acting strictly in a professional capacity as a leading QC, the Greek Cypriot government has found it hard to separate her involvement in this most politically sensitive of cases from her status as the wife of the British Prime Minister, and Nicosia has suggested that the Turkish North wishes to make political capital from the affair.

"For our part, we wonder why the services of Mrs Blair were requested in this particular case," Greek Cypriot government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides stated on Monday.

"It is clear that the Turkish lawyers who give instructions to Mrs Blair want to exploit her capacity as wife of the British Prime Minister, presumably believing that in this way they can influence the British justice as well," he added.

Mr Chrysostomides also pointed out that the UK government has advised British citizens against purchasing property in Northern Cyprus because title cannot be guaranteed and the breakaway region is recognised only by Turkey.

"I would also like to remind you that the British Commonwealth and Foreign Office had recently and in the past issued directives to British buyers on the issue of the exploitation of Greek Cypriot property in the occupied areas of Cyprus. Mrs Blair ignored this directive as well," Mr Chrysostomides remarked.

It is known that many hundreds or even thousands of British buyers have been taking advantage of lower property prices in the north, despite worries over title and possible compensation claims.

The Cyprus parliament has also passed an amendment to a law providing penalties for illegal possession and use of immovable property, which may allow European arrest warrants to be issued against foreign owners of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied north of the country.

The law already existed, but provided for imprisonment of 6 months and a fine of CYP450; the new law provides for up to 2 years' imprisonment and a fine of CYP5,000. European arrest warrants can be issued only in cases where the crime committed is subject to at least 12 months' imprisonment.

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