Upshot from Israeli northern ventures spills into south

The president of the Cyprus Bar Association is fighting back accusations that his law firm was mixed up with an Israeli venture to develop properties in the northern part of the divided island, a development that has alarmed Nicosia in recent months.

A report by daily Politis this week suggested a Greek Cypriot law firm was representing Afik Group, an Israeli real estate company where Turkish dissident Simon Mistriel Aykut and Israeli-born property appraiser Afik Yaacov have been developing resorts and projects in north Cyprus.

Yaacov, who set up shop in the Turkish Cypriot north, had also registered Danilen Ltd company in the Republic of Cyprus back in November 2020, according to Politis, which reported on a special audit by the Cyprus Bar Association on registered companies in the south.

Politis published a story on Wednesday titled “Cypriot law firm represents businessman who is building in the occupied territories,” saying the audit had revealed that a law firm belonging to CBA president, Cypriot lawyer Christos Clerides, had registered Danilen in November 2020.

Clerides, who is facing an election to keep the CBA presidency, quickly took to Facebook, saying the accusations were lies and vowing to fight back any efforts to bring about his fall.

His law firm also issued a statement saying the company systematically refuses to offer help in any ventures in the north and further clarified that they advice clients against such actions.

Besides north Cyprus, Afik Group has offices in Grece, Turkey, Germany, and Ukraine.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides broached the subject back in May during a chummy reunion in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Nicosia has been protesting any development in the north, citing the Cyprus Problem and legal issues stemming from land ownership in the north by displaced Greek Cypriots, with Christodoulides saying investment activities were a point of concern.