DİDİM - Claiming they were victims of a property scam, a group of British and Irish expatriates take their legal battle to the next level. They are about to start interviews at the EUParliament, while one couple is taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
A group of British and Irish residents in Aydın’s Didim claim they were deceived when buying property in the area and were going to the European Parliament on the grounds their rights were not equally observed in Turkey. The group said they would also complain to governments and the press in their own countries and have named themselves the "Association Seeking Justice." Three members of the group have left for Brussels for a series of interviews at the EU Parliament to present their case.
Meanwhile, Irish parliamentarian, Jim Allister, has also sent a letter to Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin asking him to take the complaints into consideration. Didim is a popular town in Turkey’s Aegean region for British and Irish pensioners looking to retire, but for some the seaside paradise has been marred by property scam nightmares.
After a rise in property scams, victims in Didim established the "Association Seeking Justice" to protect their rights. The popularity of seaside resorts has led to similar problems in other countries. In Spain, "Abusos-Urbanisticos No!" is a group of mostly foreign nationals who have suffered real estate injustices and have been fighting their way through the EU Parliament for years.
Fighting fraud
One British couple in Turkey is prepared to take their case the European Court of Human Rights, as real estate fraud increases internationally. The 150-member association’s spokesman who went to Brussels yesterday, Robert Bailei, explained the reason for their visit to the European Parliament: "We are going to have talks to ask the European Parliament to take a firm and active role in preventing real estate fraud in Turkey and push the Turkish government to punish these people who scam foreigners. "Our next stop will be the Turkish Parliament. We will ask Turkish parliamentarians to take action to clarify the law on property ownership of foreigners and increase controls on real estate. If Turkey cannot solve this real estate corruption, I am afraid it will be very hard for Turkey to enter the European Union because EU citizens are being deceived here."
Most of the association’s members claim that two people involved, Irishman Kevin O’Kane and his Turkish partner, Kubilay Atmaca, used fake title deeds in selling property. O'Kane and Atmaca are being judged in both Turkey and Ireland.
Courtesy of Hurriyet Daily News
