Filenews 3 November 2021 - by Vassos Vassiliou
Qatar will pay €1.2 million. for the maintenance of the Kepir mosque in Limassol, while the UNDP will cover the cost of €800,000 required for the reconstruction of the minaret of the mosque in Peristerona that was damaged a few years ago when it was hit by lightning. Finally, €220,000 will be spent by the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Fund for the maintenance of the Zhuhuri mosque.
The relevant reports were made by the representative of the Department of Antiquities, George Hadjigeorgiou, during yesterday's discussion of the budget of the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Fund for the year 2022 before the Parliamentary Committee on Refugees. This is the first time that a third country has contributed to the maintenance of mosques, with the amount exceeding €1 million.
Mr Hadjigeorgiou initially referred to a Gulf country and when asked to name it he referred to Qatar. For the minaret in Peristerona, he said that it is maintained within the framework of the action of the Bicommunal Commission for the preservation of cultural heritage and added that the amount will be covered by the UNDP in its entirety. Mr. Hadjigeorgiou also explained that the above sponsorships will end up in the state's coffers but will then be charged to the Management Fund which is subsidized every year by the state.
It is worth noting that this year the state grant to the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Fund (which comes from the taxation of citizens) will amount to € 7.5 million. At the same time, rents of €9.2 million are still pending, several of which may never be collected, which means that for years citizens have been subsidising individuals or companies that exploited Turkish Cypriot property from which they earned money.
It is also worth mentioning that the value of Turkish Cypriot properties in the areas controlled by the Republic amounts to approximately €18 billion. and whose exploitation suffers over time.
During a discussion of the Management Fund's budget, the Deputy Director of the Agency, George Mattheopoulos, said that in 2022 the revenues from the rents of Turkish Cypriot properties are estimated to reach €4,740,000.
In general, expenses are budgeted for 2022 at €16,725,133, while revenues are estimated at €16,240,085. The budget will show a deficit of €485,000 despite the grant of €7.5 million. from the state budget.
Both the President of the Committee, Nikos Kettiros, and the members of the Committee, George Karoulas, Nikos Georgiou, Rita Superman, Christos Christofias, Kostis Efstathiou, Christos Senekis, and Michalis Giakoumis, stressed the need to rationalize the management of the Fund. In particular, Mr. Kettiros called on the Management Service to adopt measurable criteria in the concession of Turkish Cypriot properties, so that they are granted to the one who presumably meets the conditions to stop the complaints about injustice or even favourable treatment of some.
Legal proceedings for rent collections
However, Mr. Mattheopoulos informed the MPs that the Management Service will need their support in what follows, explaining that the start of legal procedures for the collection of the rents due is imminent.
"We have begun a process of purchasing services and from next month we are moving to court to collect the arrears of rents," the deputy director of the Management Agency said. The President of the Commission observed that procedures should not target those who are temporarily facing problems due to the pandemic. At this point, Mr. Mattheopoulos assured that the court proceedings will be directed primarily at the strategic bad payers who did not pay rents for 10 or even 15 years.
Turkish Cypriots ask for rent for their properties
The other challenges facing the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service and, by extension, the State, include not only the claiming of property by Turkish Cypriots, especially when they emigrated before the declaration of independence (when they are not even considered Cypriot citizens) but also the claims of loss of use for the decades when these properties are exploited by refugees and non-refugees. As has been said before the Commission, some Turkish Cypriot owners are raising the issue of paying rent. As far as Turkish Cypriots who claim their properties are concerned, it has been said that their number is limited and especially in cases where settlements or houses have been built in which refugees live, an attempt is being made to settle amicably, which, basically, is accepted by the Turkish Cypriot owners.
Regarding the cost of maintenance of the Turkish Cypriot houses in which refugees live, Mr. Mattheopoulos said that it amounts to € 6,140,000, indicating that the high cost is expected if we take into account that the most "new" houses are 60-70 years old, while there are others that were built 120 years ago. "Some have not stood the test of time and we are demolishing them" he said.
€4,230,715 will be paid for the hourly-paid staff in 2022, while €1.4 million will be paid for sewerage fees. Another €85,000 will be allocated for connecting premises with sewer systems. A total of €166,010 will be given for secondary building projects (repair and improvement of residences in which Turkish Cypriots live). For other secondary projects (repair and maintenance of Turkish Cypriot buildings, listed buildings and other premises of business premises) €764,000 will be spent. €522,000 will be allocated for the repair, maintenance and cleaning of Turkish Cypriot ancient monuments and cemeteries.
Moreover, €125,000 and another €50,000 will be paid for cleaning open spaces for the repair of houses erected as part of self-housing in Turkish Cypriot villages. €250,000 will be allocated for the purchase of services and, finally, €100,000 has been provided for unplanned expenses.
During the debate, MPs raised the issue of subletting Turkish Cypriot property by beneficiaries at much higher rents than those they pay themselves to the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service. Information was also requested for the development of Turkish Cypriot premises by Local Authorities.
Finally, especially with regard to the 15 restaurants in the Mackenzie area, it has been said that an opinion is expected from the Attorney General on their further handling.
