Cyprus bar probes members in north property deals

The Cyprus bar association is investigating some of its members and a company associated with them, believed to be involved in buying and selling of property in the north, it emerged on Friday.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, the vice-president of the bar association Nicholas Tsardellis said that an investigation into the matter is ongoing, to determine whether their members violated the code of conduct or the anti-money laundering guidelines members should follow. He could not provide names of the individuals being examined.

However, as it emerged from information given to the Cyprus Mail, the company being examined seems to be run by Berk Gokhan and Rikkos Mappourides, both subjects of the investigation.

From what has been reported, the office of the company in question with selling properties in the north, has a registered address at Mappourides’ office.

Speaking about the matter earlier, the president of the bar association Michalis Vorkas said that the information on the company and the individuals has been given to the relevant departments at the bar association, which are investigating the matter.

“If what has been brought before is true, then we will be very strict,” he said.

He added that both the Greek Cypriot lawyer and Turkish Cypriot lawyer could be brought to answer in front of the bar’s code of conduct committee and the anti-money laundering committee.

Mappourides is also believed to have connections to Akan Kursat, a Turkish Cypriot lawyer currently in custody in Italy over selling Greek Cypriot land in the north.

The bar will also examine whether Mappourides has any connection to Kursat in this case, as he also appears to be Kursat’s legal counsel regarding the arrest in Italy.

According to daily Politis, following Kursat’s arrest the Turkish embassy in Rome attempted to ask for specifics on the arrest, but was denied. Italian authorities told the embassy that they could not provide details to them, as Kursat is a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus.

Since his arrest, ‘authorities’ in the north have called on the UN to intervene.

Kursat was arrested at his hotel in Rome on New Year’s eve, where he had travelled with his wife and CTP ‘MP’ Fazilet Ozdenefe to celebrate.

He is currently held in custody in Italy until January 16, facing extradition to Cyprus based on a 2007 arrest warrant related to property sales in Klepini, Kyrenia.

Kursat is linked to British con man and drug dealer Gary Robb, who had swindled millions of pounds out of prospective Brits who wanted to buy property in the north. The properties were never completed.

Robb had been convicted in the Cyprus Republic and sentenced to ten months in prison by a Cypriot court, after he was extradited for selling Greek Cypriot land to Britons.