Cypriot court sentences Israeli developer to jail for illegally selling land

Nearly 10 percent of non-European property buyers in Cyprus are Israeli, with the island’s Jewish population rising to around 15,000   

News Desk - The Cradle

A court in Cyprus on 24 October sentenced Israeli businessman Shimon Mistriel Aykout to five years in prison for developing and selling apartment complexes on Greek Cypriot-owned land in the Turkish-occupied north without owners’ consent, according to a three-judge panel and prosecuting attorney Andreas Aristides. 

The judges said the severity of the offenses warranted a tough penalty and credited time already spent in custody.

Aykout, 75, who also holds Portuguese and Turkish citizenship, was arrested in June 2024 while crossing south and pleaded guilty last week to 40 counts linked to building and sales activities in the north. 

Between 2014 and 2024, he headed the Afik Group of Companies, which, authorities said, built across roughly 400,000 square meters in four northern villages, with developments valued at over €38 million ($44.4 million). The court rejected petitions for release on health grounds, ruling local medical facilities sufficient.

“The court’s decision sends a clear message … that if you buy, build or otherwise use land in the occupied areas that belongs to Greek Cypriots, you're committing serious criminal acts,” Aristides told reporters. 

Nicosia lawyer Simos Angelides said the ruling and similar prosecutions have “triggered panic” in the north’s real estate sector and “shattered the illusion of legal impunity.” 

“Do not exploit stolen property, as you may soon have an arrest warrant in your name,” he told AP.

Cypriot authorities have opened a string of related cases over the past year against an Israeli, a Ukrainian, a German, and two Hungarians. 

The two Hungarian defendants received 36-month and 15-month sentences in May; other cases remain pending. 

Turkish Cypriot officials condemned the prosecutions. Newly elected Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman argued that Greek Cypriot property claims in the north should be handled only through negotiations. 

A leading Turkish Cypriot contractors’ representative warned that up to 85 percent of private property in the north could be caught up in similar legal action.

The judgment lands as Israeli property acquisition in the Republic of Cyprus intensifies. The Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) – an opposition party – has warned that Israeli buyers are establishing “gated enclaves” and “settlements in all but name,” citing purchases concentrated in Larnaca and Limassol and enabled by lax residency-by-investment schemes. 

Cyprus Mail and Politis have reported mounting political pressure to rein in abuse of “Golden Visa” pathways. 

Since 2021, Israelis have acquired nearly 4,000 properties in southern Cyprus, including more than 1,400 in Larnaca, over 1,100 in Limassol, and more than 1,200 in Paphos, with consultants describing Pyla as an informal hub. 

Hebrew media, including Haaretz and Ynet, have tracked the surge, while AKEL says locals are being priced out by rapidly expanding Israeli-only compounds.

According to the Cyprus Audit Authority, Israelis now account for around 10 percent of all non-European property buyers, a figure that has risen sharply since the onset of the Gaza genocide and Israel’s judicial crisis. 

The Jewish population on the island, estimated at roughly 15,000, has grown from just a few hundred two decades ago, with new enclaves marked by synagogues, private schools, and kosher supermarkets. 

Cypriot commentators warn that this rapid transformation mirrors the settler-colonial pattern seen in Palestine, while local politicians describe it as “a strategic project to turn Cyprus into Israel’s backyard.”