Wednesday, 6 September 2006, 10:08 GMT 11:08 UK

Couple win court fight over villa

The Orams bought the plot for their villa with retirement funds
A Sussex couple seeking to keep their dream holiday villa in northern Cyprus have won their High Court battle.
Linda and David Orams, from Hove, built their property in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus four years ago after buying the plot with retirement funds.

They were taken to court by Meletios Apostolides, who said his family owned the land, near Kyrenia, in the 1970s.

He had insisted that either the villa was knocked down or the Orams handed their property in Sussex over to him.

Mr Orams, 61, and his wife, 59, spent their £160,000 savings on buying the plot and building the villa and pool.

'Substantial victory'

They bought the land from the registered owner in accordance with the laws and land registry system of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) - which was declared after Turkish troops invaded the area in 1974.

But Mr Apostolides, a Greek Cypriot, insisted the land was rightfully his because his family had been uprooted from it by the Turkish invasion.

A statement issued on behalf of the couple said the judgment was a "total vindication" of their position.

It said: "It is a substantial victory in a battle by them to maintain and retain their retirement home and their home in England.

"The judgment allows others in the same position to invest in TRNC without the threat of enforcement of judgments rendered in the Republic of Cyprus in the EU."

Their counsel, Cherie Booth QC, had argued that the case raised a matter of fundamental importance for people who lived in the Turkish-controlled region in relation to property dealings.

Mr Justice Jack's ruling that a judgement obtained against the retired couple in Nicosia was not enforceable in the English courts followed a four-day hearing at the High Court in London in July.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/5319376.stm

British couple win fight to keep Cyprus Villa
By Times Online and PA



A British couple today won the right to keep their holiday home in Cyprus after the High Court reversed two earlier judgments that said they must return the land to its former owner.



David and Linda Orams successfully appealed against the rulings in the District Court of Nicosia that also ordered them to demolish the villa and pay compensation to Meletis Apostolides, the original landowner, who fled Northern Cyprus during the 1974 invasion by Turkey.

Mr Orams, 61, and his wife, 59, spent £160,000 on buying the plot, in Lapithos, and building the villa.

The couple, represented by Cherie Booth, QC, said that they risked losing their home in Hove, East Sussex, if today’s ruling by Mr Justice Jack had gone against them.

Cyprus, a former British colony, has been divided since the Turkish invasion in 1974. In 1983 the Turkish-held area, which constitutes about one third of the island, declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC.)

The southern Republic of Cyprus has been a full member of the EU since 2004, but the TRNC is only recognised by Turkey.

Ms Booth argued that the case raised a matter of fundamental importance for people who lived in the Turkish-controlled north in relation to property dealings.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,200-2345221,00.html

Couple win battle over Cyprus villa
Press Association
Wednesday September 6, 2006 10:38 AM


A British couple have won a High Court battle over their dream holiday home in Cyprus.

David and Linda Orams successfully appealed against the registration for enforcement of two judgments of the District Court of Nicosia in the Republic of Cyprus. The judgments had been obtained by the dispossessed owner of the plot on which their villa was built in the Turkish-controlled north of the island.

The couple claimed they risked losing their home in Hove, East Sussex, if Mr Justice Jack's ruling had gone against them.

Mr Orams, 61, and his wife, 59, spent their £160,000 savings on buying the plot in Lapithos and building the villa and pool.

They bought the land from the registered owner in accordance with the laws and land registry system of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Cyprus, a former British colony, has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the north in response to a military coup on the island backed by Athens.

Their counsel, Cherie Booth QC, had argued that the case raised a matter of fundamental importance for people who lived in the Turkish-controlled north in relation to property dealings.

Afterwards, a statement issued on behalf of the couple said the judgment was a "total vindication" of their position.

It said: "It is a substantial victory in a battle by them to maintain and retain their retirement home and their home in England.

"The judgment allows others in the same position to invest in TRNC without the threat of enforcement of judgments rendered in the Republic of Cyprus in the EU."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6061291,00.html

© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2006, All Rights Reserved.

Orams 1 - 1 Apostolides (penalty, 2 min)

Only 2 minutes of the game has been played and Orams were awarded a dodgy penalty decison at home in the second minute. There is still plenty of time for Apostolides to score the winner in the House of Lords (away) or the European Court (another home game for us)...

Aggregate score: Orams 1 - 1 Apostolides (Republic of Cyprus
Supreme Court decison).

Good luck to Greece and Turkey in the Euro 2008 - first and second place, in that order - we both qualify, ...