A significant development has occurred concerning the scandal under investigation involving the transfer of Turkish Cypriot property in Pyrga to Greek Cypriots through deceitful means.
According to reliable information from Phileleftheros, last Wednesday the District Court of Larnaca issued an order to freeze six plots of land, which belonged to deceased Turkish Cypriots and were found in the possession of natural and legal persons.
Days ago, police investigators handling the case had approached the Anti-Corruption Unit to have the unlawfully transferred land frozen.
Subsequent actions were taken by the Anti-Corruption Unit, which submitted a relevant request to the Court, and it was approved. This concerns a total of six pieces of land.
It should be noted that the said immovable property at the centre had been registered in the names of individuals and – indeed – ownership titles had been issued. The freezing order represents a significant step in the investigative work being carried out by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Larnaca.
The case, which was revealed by Phileleftheros at the beginning of last month (8/3), is surrounded by unprecedented circumstances.
The police are currently investigating a case of land registration with false information and its transfer without the consent of the guardian, which in this case is the Management Service of Turkish Cypriot Properties of the Ministry of Interior.
However, it is surrounded by unique circumstances, as based on all indications, a group of individuals of Greek Cypriot origin is alleged to have falsified documents to appropriate the now frozen property.
The investigations aim to shed light on the extent of the potential involvement of officials from the Larnaca Land Registry.
The same information indicates that the role of a former lawyer, who has been struck off the register of the Pan-Cypriot Bar Association, is also being investigated.
The alleged crimes under investigation are said to have taken place last February. The case began to unfold when one of the involved individuals attempted to secure a certificate from the community.
At that point, and when it was discovered that something was amiss with the case and began to be investigated administratively, the file, which happened to be handled by two officials from the Larnaca Land Registry, mysteriously disappeared.
From the Larnaca Land Registry, it appears that a file for land inheritance was opened last February.
According to the allegation, the group of individuals, in their attempt to appropriate the land, is alleged to have presented a letter claiming that the Guardian, which in this case is the Management Service of Turkish Cypriot Properties of the Ministry of Interior, had given consent. Additionally, a will with an executrix, a former lawyer, is said to have been presented.
The scam was uncovered when an individual approached the community authority of Pyrga to secure a payment certificate.
The community authority, in turn, following the standard procedure, approached the Management Service of Turkish Cypriot Properties of the Ministry of Interior, revealing that the latter had never given approval for the initiated inheritance process. A complaint was then filed with the police by the guardian in early March.
The two officials from the Larnaca Land Registry, who handled the lost file, have been moved to other positions pending the completion of the police investigations following an administrative inquiry.
