Benter: “Closed city of Maraş is a foundation property”

The General Director of the Cyprus Vakıflar Administration Prof.  Dr. İbrahim Benter stated that when the island was rented to the British in 1878, 14% of the properties on the island belonged to the Evkaf Administration. Today the total percentage of Vakıf or Evkaf owned property has dropped to 6 per thousand. The area covering the closed city of Maraş falls within that 14%”.

Speaking on a program, Benter argued that a group of high level experts had carried out a study in 2009 to determine the number of Vakıf owned properties and he said that the deal signed with the British in 1878 clearly stated that “Evkaf properties could not be sold or transferred to others.”

On the other hand Benter underlined that the most of the properties owned by the Evkaf had been improperly and unlawfully handed over to others, mainly to Greeks during the island’s British colonial rule. Benter said: “This is against both the international and British laws and these properties should be reinstated. If we claim only the rent for the Evkaf properties left in South Cyprus, this constitutes astronomical prices.”

He added that the area covering the closed city of Maraş is also the property of Evkaf and said: “We have all the title deeds and legal documents to back up our claim.”