A large area of land with an area of tens of thousands of square meters was cemented in its name by the Archdiocese with a court decision dated 5.10.2026, following a legal process through which it claimed the implementation of an agreement dated 21.6.1948. The agreement was signed between Hellenic Mining Public Company Limited and the Hellenic Chemical Products and Fertilizers S.A., the liquidation of which was then undertaken by the National Bank of Greece S.A.
In order to understand the value of all the properties, it is mentioned that 78 years ago they were bought for 150,000 Cyprus pounds. It is noteworthy that some of the dozens of pieces of land have an area of more than 30,000 square meters.
Indicative of the situation that prevailed with the ownership of the plots is the fact that when the Archdiocese approached the National Bank of Greece inviting it to transfer the properties it claimed, it did not even know that the property claimed by the Church existed.
For the record, it is reported that Hellenic Mining Public Company Limited (later Hellenic Mining Company EME) is a company that was established in Cyprus on 22.5.1948 with the aim of acquiring the business of the Societe Anonyme Hellenic Chemical Products and Fertilizers S.A., which was done, but without the property being transferred to it. However, part of the properties located in the province of Nicosia were transferred a few years ago and the transfer of the land to Limassol was pending.
As can be seen from the relevant decision of the Limassol District Court, in 1948 the Hellenic Chemical Products and Fertilizers S.A. agreed to sell and assign to Hellenic Mining Public Company Limited the mining and quarrying business in Cyprus including its total immovable property and mining leases, licenses, quarry privileges, factories, facilities, tools, railway lines, air duct lines, pylons, furniture, accounting debts, contractual rights and all its other possessions.
The consideration was the concession by the Plaintiff of 149,993 of its shares to S.A. The value of each share was one pound, i.e. it was worth about 150,000 pounds.
It is noted that when the act was done, the earnings were 3 to 6 Cyprus pounds per month, depending on the profession each practiced, which also reveals the size of the property.
It is also noted that neither the Archdiocese nor the National Bank of Greece S.A. were parties to the agreement but were involved in the process when the Archdiocese bought Hellenic Mining Public Company Limited and the National Bank of Greece S.A. took over as liquidator of the Societe Anonyme Hellenic Chemical Products and Fertilizers S.A. which had co-signed, then, the agreement.
In order to comply with the agreement (21.6.1948) the Hellenic Chemical Products and Fertilizers S.A. transferred most of its properties to Cyprus but the transfer of 47 titles to Limassol, including trees which at the time had their own title deed, remained pending.
The years passed and on 27.1.2012 (64 years after the 1948 agreement) Hellenic Mining Public Company Limited submitted the agreement to the Limassol District Cadastral Office and on 8.9.2015 informed the Hellenic Chemical Products and Fertilizers S.A. that transfers of plots were pending. The company was invited to appear at the Land Registry on 12.1.2016 but did not do so, so court proceedings were initiated in order to enable the transfer.
In 1948 and in accordance with the Agreement, the Hellenic Mining Public Company Limited delivered and transferred to the Plaintiff (Hellenic Mining Public Company Limited) all its mining facilities/leases, including those in the Asgata-Kalavasos area.
As argued by the lawyers of Ms. Leonidas Georgiou and Mrs. Chloe Tofaridou, the mining activity continued unhindered by the Plaintiff (Hellenic) without the need to transfer the real estate of S.A. in its name on the grounds that it had purchased the S.A. Hellenic Chemical Products and Fertilizers S.A.
According to Hellenic's lawyers, transfers were made only when necessary. That is why, as they stated before the Court, estates in the area of the village of Asgata have not yet been transferred to the Plaintiff. They also argued that the transfer of the properties was not necessary since according to the terms of the Agreement, the Plaintiff had taken possession of all the properties of S.A., so it carried out its operations unhindered, since the mining leases had also been transferred to it.
A witness of the Plaintiff, who was considered reliable, testified before the Court that under the Agreement, the transfer of real estate in which the ore processing facilities in Vasilikos were located preceded. Pieces that were part of the pieces of the railway line from the Asgata – Kalavasos mines to Vassiliko that were included in the Kalavasos Land Consolidation were also transferred.
In the period 1979-1980, pieces of the Asgata – Kalavasos mine, which belonged administratively to the village of Ora, were transferred to the Plaintiff. The witness submitted a set of documents, copies of 23 title deeds transferred from the Société Anonyme to the Plaintiff.
A witness for the Plaintiff also testified that he met with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Defendant, Louka Katseli, in Athens and discussed the matter with her in the presence of competent officials of the Defendant, the late Archbishop of Cyprus at the time Chrysostomos II and the lawyer Leonidas Georgiou. According to the testimony, at the meeting in question it was said that Anonymous did not have any assets in Cyprus so no real estate transfer could be made by Anonymous.
Ms. Louka Katseli suggested that the Plaintiff proceed with legal proceedings and assured that the Defendant would not object or object to the transfer of the real estate. However, when a date was set for the transfer of the properties, representatives of the National Bank did not appear at the Land Registry.
The Court's decision states that the Plaintiff owns and has never abandoned the possession of the 33 properties since 1948. Within the Mining Lease he used, there were 6 mines. The properties of the Mining Lease, including the 33 disputed ones, were used by the Plaintiff, among other things, for excavations, conducting research surveys, laying of mine rubble, installation of equipment and machinery, construction and maintenance of a miners' settlement, construction of roads and others. All expenses for the Mining Lease and all investments were made by the Plaintiff.
The decision also states that in the event that the Plaintiff wanted to decide to reactivate the "Mining Lease of Kalavasos – Asgata", its 33 properties are absolutely necessary. The Plaintiff will not be able to secure a new Mining Lease in the area if the 33 properties remain registered in the name of S.A.
The Court's decision concludes as follows: The power to issue a special enforcement order is provided by Article 7 of the Law. In light of all the above, the lawsuit should succeed. Consequently, the relevant decrees are issued. The costs of the action are awarded in favour of the Plaintiff and the Defendant as they will be calculated by the Registrar and approved by the Court.
