The High Criminal Court has rejected three preliminary objections made by the lawyers of Simon Aykut, a Turkish businessman of Jewish origin who was arrested by the Republic of Cyprus last June for building on and selling former Greek properties in the TRNC.
According to the Güney press, two of the three preliminary objections made by the defense concerned the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case, and one concerned the conditions of Aykut’s detention and the restrictions on his rights.
After hearing written and oral statements from the defense and the prosecution, the High Criminal Court unanimously rejected the preliminary objections.
The announced decision claimed that the Republic of Cyprus “has jurisdiction over all matters, including immovable properties” in the regions within the borders of the TRNC, and argued that his second objection could not constitute grounds for acquitting the defendant of the crimes at this stage.
After the verdict was announced, the defense requested 15 days to consult with lawyers from other countries and their clients participating in the case. Since the prosecution did not object, the hearing was postponed to Friday, November 22 at 09:00 and Aykut was ordered to remain in custody until the hearing.
