The Vakıflar (Evkaf) Administration said on Tuesday that the Abdullah Paşa Foundation, which is said to own the entirety of the fenced-off city of Maraş remains open.
In a written statement, the Vakıflar Administration said that attempts in the past to shut down the foundation by the British Colonial Administration were unlawful.
“Legally it is not possible to shut down such foundations nor can ownership of immovable properties belonging to such foundations be transferred to individuals. The British Colonial Administration tried to shut down the Abdullah Paşa Foundation and its properties were unlawfully seized. We are battling this issue at international courts. Evidence proving these unlawful and irregular transactions can be found in our archives,” the Vakıflar statement read.
It said that recent reports in the media citing a book published by the Vakıflar Foundation as its source distorted the truth and were aimed at deliberately altering the facts.
It pointed out that the documents provided in the book were poorly drafted and false letters written by Evkaf delegates appointed by the British Colonial Administration to mislead Evkaf officials in Turkey pursuing rights concerning the Abdullah Paşa Foundation.
“Unfortunately, the illegal practices of the British Colonial Administration were not questioned by the Vakıflar Administration which was transferred to Turkish Cypriot control in 1956. Perhaps the Turkish Cypriot administrators at the time had a false impression, which various circles share today that they could not object because payment of £1.5 million had been made by the British Colonial Administration,” the Vakıflar said.
It concluded by stating that the Abdullah Paşa Foundation owned large amounts of property and land in Famagusta and the Karpaz peninsula.
BRT
