This week in North Cyprus > 9th-16th October 2006
NOT OVER YET FOR ORAMSES AS APOSTOLİDES
THE lawyer for Greek Cypriot Meletios Apostolides says he has lodged an appeal against the landmark London High Court judgement last month in favour of Lapta home-owners David and Linda Orams.
The court ruled that a south Cyprus court verdict ordering the Oramses to demolish their villa and return the land to Mr Apostolides had until October 4 to appeal. His lawyer, Constantis Candounas, confirmed to Cyprus Today that he had lodged an appeal on Tuesday, the day before the deadline, but would not go into further detail about the grounds on which the appeal was made.
Speaking from London, Hasan Vahid one of the Oramses’ defence team, said the decision by Mr Candounas to appeal was not a surprise. He and his colleagues would now study the caseand draw up a draft response over the next few days.
David Orams,speaking from his Sussex home, said he had not been aware of the appeal, but was confident in the legal team – headed in court by British Prime Minister’s wife Cherie Booth QC- that had helped them to win the initial case in London.
New government moves fast yo clean up its own actt and make foreigners’ life easier
Boost for expats
The new coalition hit the ground running this week, announcing measures aimed et slashing red tape and ending hassle and discrimination affecting expatriates.
Reduced medical care charges to foreigners and a streamlined system for issuing work permits- including an end to the twin-track health test charges for Turks and so-called “third country” nationals- were brought into force this week.
The new system should also mean work permits being issued within a matter of days, instead of months, it was pledged- good news for businesses which have otherwise risked fines for emplaying workers while they waited to become legal.
However, employers were warned to make sure all their workers had the necessary permission, or face hefty financial penalties.
Meanwhile, the new Republican Turkish Party (CTP)- Freedom and Reform Party (ÖRP) coalition has also pledged to bring about “transparency” in the issuing of TRCN citizenships.
News of cuts in fees for “third country” foreigners for medical examinations, treatment and operations was released on Thursday by the Health Minister, who said prices previously levied in sterling had been converted to YTL.
Minister Eşref Vaiz said the change was aimed at removing the discrepancy in charges for Turkish citizens and other foreigners for health care they received.
He said the move had been made after “a vast number of complaints” from foreign residents, addding: “For example,previously we would be conducting an operation on a Turkish citizen it was £500. With the new regulation the prices are balanced.”
By yesterday afternoon, however, no schedule of charges had been sent to Lefkoşa State Hospital. Labour and Social Security Minister Sonay Adem told Cyprus Today the work permit reforms had come into effect week.
“We are reforming the system so that work permit applications can be sorted out quickly and efficiently ,” he said.
“The whole process for such applications used to take five or six months to comlete but now it should take between two to three days with everything being be done by one department.”
Mr Adem said the same unit- currently located behind the police station at Yenişehir, Lefkoşa- would both issue work permits and put into place social sucurity and tax arrangements.
“These measures will cut out the need to visit different departments to sort out paperwork,” he said.
“This goverment has also eliminated ethnic discrimination, because previously health tests were charged at a different level for Turkish citizens. All that has now been brought into line.”
Officials at Mr Adem’s ministry yesterday confirmed that the fee for both Turks and other nationals was now 100YTL for health test and 130YTL for the work permit.
Mr Adem reminded all noncitizens that they needed to obtain work permits via their employers, and reminded businesses that they risked a fine equal to the minimum wage-860YTL-for each illegal worker they employed. In addition, they would not be allowed to apply for new work permits or to renew existing ones for a year. “Employers should get their employers should get their employee permits sorted out or it could lead to their benkruptcy,” he warned.
The minister confirmed that a recent crackdown on illegal workers had netted 546 culprits, mostly working for construction companies and restaurants.
He said 2,870 workers were questioned during spot-checks on 723 firms between July 17 and September 22,and 443 fines were issued against employers.
A pledge of “transparency and equality” over citizenships was included in the government programme unveiled at the weekend, which declared that “arbitrary decisions” in granting citizenships would not be permitted.
New Deputy Prime Minister Turgay Avcı told Cyprus Today the change in administration meant the so-called “5+5” formula proposed under the last government for granting citizenship to foreign residents and workers was togo back before the Cabinet for discussion.
Under the proposal, a foreigner would be granted permanent residency after legally working for five years in the TRCN, and would be eligible for citizenship five years later. A foreigner lrgally resident in the TRCN for 10 years would also have the right to apply for citizenship.
Mr Avcı said: “We will sit and discuss the issue. The most important thing is to introduce something that will be useful to the country and establish a structure that will take it into the future.........”
“The approach of ‘citizenship to all’ is not correct , but those who live here and serve the country should be granted citizenship under the law.”
CTA director acquitted
A FORMER director of Cyprus Turkish Airlines (CTA) accused of demanding $1,5 million for his party funds from a former managing director of the airline was acquitted yesterday.
Lefkoşa Assizes Court ruled that there was insufficient evidence against Ümit Hasel.
The charge related to an incident alleged to have occurred in 2001 when Democrat Party representative on the money from the airline’s funds but was refused by then managing director Zeeki Ziya.
After the case, Mr Hasel’s lawyer, Menteş Aziz, said the decision was one that should have been made before his client was ever brought to court.
Blaze accused had burns
A TURKISH Cypriot accused of starting a fatal fire at a shop in England nearly six years ago was spotted two days after the blaze with fresh burns to his face, Lefkoşa Assizes Court heard this week.
Former British soldier Victoria Armstrong, giving evidence on Thursday, said that on the night of December 29, 2000, on her way to meet her fiance’s parents, she had been jostled by three men who, like her, had been trying to get on a bus in Liverpool.
Only one of the men had been able to board and she said he had fresh burn marks on his face. She identified him as Kemal Kemalzade, who is standing trial for manslaughter and helping two of his relations to set fire to the familyowned newsagent’s in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on December 27,2000. The blaze resulted in an explosion and the death of Colin Salt, the tenant of a flat above the shop.
Mrs Armstrong, who reiterated her evidence yesterday under crossexamination from Mr Kemalzade’s lawyer,Menteş Aziz, said she had first aid traning and had serverd in the army for six years between 2000 and in Oman,Iraq and Bosnia. She was therefore familiar with burn wounds had given a written statement to police in the UK about what she had seen.
The court heard earlier from a British expert on arson attacks and fires. Roger Hope Ide, a medical-legal expert with 37 years’ explosion which killed Mr Salt, and his conclusion was that the fire was arson.
Mr Kemalzade is accused of helping to set the fire to obtain an insurance pay-out. His brother and sister-in-law,Çınar and Sibel Kemalzade,were convicted of manslaughter, conspiracy to commit arson and insurance fraud in Britain in 2004 and are now serving 11-year prison sentences.
Mr Hope Ide, who gave evidence through the court interpreter,said he estimated that about five litres of petrol had been used to start the fire. The toilet window at the back of the shop had been entered from there to pour the petrol.
The case continues.
Get your rescued olive tree quickly...... but you’ll pay more
PEOPLE wanting to buy rescued olive trees can now do so quickly and online-so long as they are prepared to pay a 30 per cent premium.
The Olive Tree Rescue Project, which sets out to save trees endangered by construction and other work, is now publishing pictures on its website- www.olivetreesproject.com – of some of the tree it has for sale. Prevously, customers wanting one or two trees for their garden would have been placed on a waiting list, with the endangered trees being removed and re-planted the same day.
“This method is still continuing and is iseal for people living in Cyprus who can afford to wait to help save a tree,” said a spokesman for the project. “Also, most olive trees offered to us need to be moved at very short notice and having a waiting list gives us the opportunity to find a home for them immediately. But for a variety of reasons, there are some people who simply cannot afford to wait and require trees immediately. When there is reasonable notice given to remove tree, we now photograph them and feature them on the website for customers to view and order immediately, without being placed on a waiting list.”
He said the online olives retail for about 30 per cent more than normal due to faster delivery. Prices begin at £250, including delivery and planting.
Resources: cyprustoday
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