On-site measurements of Afik group properties to be submitted in Aykut trial

On-site measurements of developments built by the Afik group are to be submitted as evidence in the trial of its founder, Israeli property developer Simon Mistriel Aykut, who stands accused of having developed and sold €43 million worth of property on Greek Cypriot land in the north.

Prosecution lawyer Andreas Aristides said in court on Thursday that the data had come into the prosecution’s possession the previous day, and that he had informed the defence of the material and handed them a copy before the day’s court proceedings began.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that the data had been compiled by a police officer, and concerned “six developments … in the Trikomo and Kyrenia areas”.

The defence requested extra time to study the material, and as such, the case was postponed until July 3.

Aykut was arrested in June last year while attempting to cross from the north to the Republic.

Outside of Aykut’s case, the number of cases regarding the alleged illegal development of Greek Cypriot property in the north is on the rise, with two Hungarian nationals having become the first to be sentenced to prison over the matter last month.

Meanwhile, the case of a German national who reportedly spoke about selling property in the north to Elam MEP Geadis Geadi during a flight to Larnaca is ongoing, and arrest warrants have been issued for four Turkish nationals in connection with developments in the Famagusta district village of Lefkoniko.