Newsroom
Cyprus lawmakers heard Tuesday that contracts for Turkish Cypriot properties have been issued to people long deceased, some of whom would be 150 years old today, revealing what officials called serious flaws in the system overseeing abandoned properties.
The revelation came during a House Refugee Committee meeting, where the head of the Association of Occupied Communities of Famagusta raised concerns over long-standing irregularities in the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Fund. Committee chairman Nikos Kettiros said the situation underscores the need for a long-delayed computerized system to track property records, adding that a budget for the project has finally been secured.
Kettiros said authorities admitted weaknesses in recently adopted laws and regulations governing the fund and promised amendments early next year. The committee instructed services to conduct contract checks to prevent similar cases.
The panel also reviewed the 2026 budget of the Pancyprian Refugee Association, which totals €465,000, with €337,000 allocated to personnel costs. Association president Giorgos Lysandridis warned that limited remaining funds, less than €30,000, restrict the group’s ability to carry out awareness and support initiatives. He urged the government to update housing schemes, income criteria and rent subsidies to reflect rising living costs, and called for realistic protections for properties in the north to prevent owners from turning to the Turkish Cypriot Immovable Property Commission.
Lawmakers further discussed an AKEL-backed bill to abolish time limits for applying to the Central Agency for the Equal Distribution of Burdens. The measure would allow housing-loan holders to seek interest-rate subsidies regardless of when their loans were issued. Kettiros said parties offered broad support, and the bill will move to the full Parliament.
