Lithuanian estate agent extradited to Cyprus for misappropriation of Greek Cypriot property
A Lithuanian estate agent accused of "misappropriation" of Greek Cypriot property in the north has been arrested at Nice airport and is expected to be extradited to Cyprus.
Arrest in Nice and execution of European arrest warrant
A Lithuanian estate agent accused of "misappropriation" of Greek Cypriot property in the occupied territories is expected to be extradited to Cyprus after being arrested in France following the issue of a European arrest warrant, according to reports from Saturday cited by the Cyprus Mail.
Her arrest took place at Nice airport. The defendant subsequently challenged the execution of the warrant, citing French case law: a French court had previously ruled in the case of Iranian national Behdad Jafari that, given the suspension of the application of European Union law in the north, the European arrest warrant could not be executed in that instance.
However, the French judicial system is based on civil law rather than common law, as is the case in Cyprus, with the result that the Jafari decision does not bind future courts. The competent court ruled that the warrant against the Lithuanian woman could be executed, paving the way for her extradition.
Increased prosecutions for exploitation of occupied property
The case is part of a broader strategy by the Republic of Cyprus, which in recent years has intensified efforts to prosecute those accused of illegally advertising or constructing buildings on Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories.
The most prominent case concerns Israeli property developer Simon Aykut, who last October was sentenced to five years' imprisonment after pleading guilty to 40 charges related to the development and sale of Greek Cypriot property in the north. In April he was transferred to Israel to serve the remainder of his sentence.
In a more recent development, the German embassy in Nicosia issued a "strong protest" calling for the release of a woman who has been held here for two years, accused of advertising properties in the occupied territories belonging to Greek Cypriots. The woman was arrested in 2024 after allegedly admitting during a flight in conversation with Elam MEP Giadis Giadis that she was selling Greek Cypriot properties in the north. She has remained in custody since.
Criticism from Turkish Cypriot leader
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman has criticised the Republic of Cyprus's policy of arresting individuals accused of illegal use of Greek Cypriot property. "It is entirely wrong to make individuals pay the price for problems arising from the lack of a solution, and to treat the property issue, which is part of the Cyprus problem, as if it is a problem arising from the acts and transactions of individual persons," he said.
Source: Cyprus Mail