Estate agents’ body urges media to report closure of probe into north property claims

Nicosia, Cyprus. The Cyprus Real Estate Agents Association (Skek) has asked media organisations to publicise that a police investigation into claims tying estate agencies to illegal dealings in Greek Cypriot properties in the Turkish-occupied north has been closed. The association said the Legal Service reviewed the evidence and ordered the case to be archived.

Outcome of the investigation

In a statement issued this week, Skek said the criminal investigation was finished. After the Legal Service assessed the evidence, instructions were given to archive the file because nothing had emerged that would warrant a criminal prosecution.

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Skek, which is affiliated with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Keve), described the result as a significant development that the public has a right to know about. It pointed to the wide publicity the initial allegations had received.

Background to the complaint

The allegations were connected to a complaint that the Cyprus Real Estate Agents Registration Council made public in May 2025. According to the association, this brought considerable negative publicity to specific businesses and to the real estate sector as a whole.

The association said the allegations created “serious negative impressions about specific businesses as well as the entire real estate sector.”

Appeal to the media

Skek argued that the end of the investigation deserves attention comparable to that given to the accusations. It called on newspapers, news websites and social media platforms that published or repeated the claims to tell their audiences about the official conclusion.

The association said there cannot be extensive publicity for a complaint while its official outcome goes unmentioned.

Earlier warnings

The statement comes after concerns voiced in June 2025 by Marinos Kineyirou, president of the Cyprus Real Estate Agents Registration Council. He warned about illegal real estate activity involving Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied north.

Kineyirou argued at the time that the matter went beyond criminal offences and was directly linked to the continuing exploitation of Greek Cypriot properties in areas under Turkish occupation.