The Republic of Cyprus is scrambling to overturn a French judicial ruling that released an Iranian property developer, amid fears that the decision creates a legal precedent challenging the state’s jurisdiction over its Turkish-occupied territories.
The Court of Appeal in Aix-en-Provence on 10 December 2025 refused to extradite 39-year-old Behdad Jafari, the head of ISATIS Construction Group, who is accused of building seven luxury developments on usurped Greek Cypriot land in Famagusta.
The court justified its decision by claiming that European law cannot be enforced in areas where the Republic does not exercise “effective control”—a conclusion that officials in Nicosia argue ignores decades of established international case law.
The case took a turn for the worse for the Law Office this week after Jafari, who had been living in Nice, immediately fled to the occupied north via Istanbul. Upon his arrival, he released a written statement praising the “impartiality” of the French judiciary while dismissing the Republic’s European Arrest Warrant as a “politically motivated” attempt to block residential development in the north.
Jurisdiction and the Apostolides precedent
Legal circles in the Republic have expressed alarm that the French court failed to account for the landmark Apostolides v Orams ruling, which confirmed that the Republic’s courts maintain legal authority over the entire island. Sources familiar with the matter suggest that the French prosecution may have failed to adequately advocate for the Republic’s sovereign rights, allowing the court to reach a verdict that effectively questions the state’s ability to prosecute crimes committed in the occupied areas.
The ruling stands in stark contrast to the recent Aykut case, where the Republic successfully prosecuted individuals involved in similar land exploitation. In the Jafari proceedings, the defence successfully argued that the Republic was “criminalising civil matters” to achieve political ends. While the French judges did not formally adopt this stance, their refusal to recognise the Republic’s “effective control” provides a symbolic victory for those seeking to legitimise the construction boom on displaced persons’ property.
Impacts on the ISATIS group investigation
Evidence held by Cypriot authorities indicates that Jafari’s Tehran-born businessman, who has operated out of France for years, oversaw the construction of six holiday complexes and one apartment block on Greek Cypriot-owned soil. The projects were marketed to international investors as legal developments under the laws of the breakaway regime in the north.
With Jafari now safely beyond the reach of European law enforcement, the Republic’s efforts have shifted to a high-level appeal aimed at correcting the legal record.
The Law Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are reportedly pressuring the French General Prosecutor to challenge the verdict in a higher court, not only to pursue Jafari but to prevent the “effective control” argument from being used by other developers facing similar international warrants.