A Turkish Cypriot lawyer, Murat Hakki in statements to CNA has expressed his readiness to file an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the “committee of immovable property”, set up in Cyprus` occupied areas to deal with Greek Cypriot claims for compensation for their occupied properties, aiming at forming an internal-law procedure for the property issue.
The appeal would be related to the delay observed in the payment of the compensation ruled by the so called Committee to Hakki`s Greek Cypriot client.
The “committee” in its final decision at the beginning of 2014 decided to pay the amount of £2.1 million sterling to a Greek Cypriot for a claim concerning 60 acres in Kyrenia.
The Greek Cypriot owner of the property lives in the Paphos area.
Almost 1,5 year later, the amount has not been paid. Hakki told CNA that the delay of the payment constitutes a violation of the right to property and they are ready to file an appeal to ECHR.
“We are prepared and we have exhausted all local remedies. We will go to ECHR and the whole issue (of IPC’s existence) may blow up. It will cause a huge embarrassment to the IPC”, he remarked.
He did not exclude the possibility others to follow suit since over than 100 Greek Cypriots have not been received the compensation from the “committee” since April 2014. He clarified that some compensations have been paid this year but those involved cases that dated before April 2014.
Due to a dispute between Turkey and the so called authorities in the occupied north, Turkey says its taxpayers should not pay solely for the amounts awarded by the “committee” and demands T/cs or the current illegal users of the Greek Cypriot properties to contribute from 30% to 40% of the compensation.
For this reason, Ankara has considerably slowed down the flow of money to the “committee”. Out of 230 million sterling given to the “committee” for compensation purposes so far, the “committee” has paid only 130 million, he added.
Hakki reminded that they tried to secure his client’s compensation by seizing two “ministerial” cars in July, however they were prevented from executing the seizure of the rest of the cars. They appealed to the “supreme court” which last week ruled that “IPC” awards could only be executed if the Greek Cypriot refugee signed a waiver which in the other cases of Greek Cypriot applicants was signed after the payment of the compensation.
The decision of the “supreme court” is meaningless, Hakki added.
Resource : http://famagusta-gazette.com/turkish-cypriot-lawyer-questions-the-effectiveness-of-ipc-p31479-69.htm