Saturday, 29 January, 2022
The Immovable Property Commission (IPC) has accepted an application made by the Religious Foundations [EVKAF*] and Religious Affairs Office under file number 1732/2011, as rightful claimants to immovable property in Maraş (Varosha), Kibris Postasi reported.
On 28 January, the IPC reasoned that the Foundations Organisation, Religious Affairs Department and Abdullah Paşa Foundation, were relevant parties to potential property rights and interests and that it would be more fair and appropriate for those parties to have a say in those applications.
The decision is considered to be an important step regarding the claims made by the religious foundations regarding Maraş and comprehensive details will be made public after a detailed examination is made.
In September, 2019, Director of Religious Foundations Administration Professor İbrahim Benter said that the properties belonging to the religious foundation [EVKAF] in the Maraş/Varosha region were illegally transferred to individuals under the British Administration.
Professor Benter, told the public on social media that the British administration illegally transferred the assets of the foundation to individuals with documents in the Maraş region.
Dr. Benter, had told Turkish daily ‘Yeni Sabah’ that after bringing in experts to study all title deeds dated between 1571 and 1974, it emerged that most of Maraş/Varosha belongs to EVKAF since it belongs to three vakifs (religious endowments), the Abdullah Pasha Foundation, the Lala Mustafa Pasha Foundation and a small part to Bilal Aga Foundation.
*Evkaf: A Ministry created during the Ottoman Empire.