North property sales: ‘If everyone had followed law, this wouldn’t have happened’

The north’s ‘interior minister’ made fresh remarks about property sales to third country nationals on Thursday, telling ‘parliament’ “if everyone had followed the law, this wouldn’t have happened.”

To this end, he said there is “no problem” with the ‘government’s’ implementation of the relevant laws, but that “there is a problem with those who do not comply with the law.”

This falls in line with statements he had made on Tuesday, when he said in a televised interview that some property sales were being made without the land registry being informed, thus allowing third country nationals to buy outside the legal limits.

He told ‘parliament’ that data will be surveyed to determine the quantity of property sales which occur without the land registry being informed, and the nationalities of those buying properties in this fashion.

He added that his ‘ministry’ does not at present have enough data regarding sales which go through without the land registry being formed but said a law “will be drafted to solve this problem”.

Additionally, he said third country nationals elect to move to the north “because this country is safe,” and said, “conversations which would harm this reputation should be avoided.”

Regarding zoning plans for the protection of agricultural land on the Mesaoria plain, he said a team has been formed and that a plan will be completed in due course.