Does Cherie have property in the north too?

RUMOURS yesterday resurfaced that Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, received property in the occupied areas as payment for representing David and Linda Orams in their UK property appeal against Greek Cypriot refugee Meletios Apostolides.

The issue was brought to light by ‘Offsite’, an email news bulletin, which made reference to an article on legal website nolegalese.com.

The article, ‘Cherie Blair and the Bounced Cheque from North Cyprus’, was written by Lesley Hardy, the UK Chairman of Wellington Estates Ltd, a property development company registered in the occupied areas.

The lengthy piece basically refers to reports in the Turkish Cypriot media that the QC allegedly received a dud cheque for payment of her legal fees when she defended the Orams’ against the claim by Apostolides concerning his home in occupied Lapithos.

The article then continues: “However, the story has wide circulation on internet blogs and further rumours have surfaced. One rumour is that Cherie Blair agreed for her legal fees to be paid in kind, and is now the owner of several apartments in the north. One apartment is allegedly near Lapta, which is the location of the disputed property.

“Cherie and Tony Blair have an interest in property investment. In 2002, they used the services of convicted fraudster Peter Foster to purchase two apartments in Bristol, one for the use of their son Euan, and the other as a rental investment.

“It is further rumoured that Cherie Blair now owns several apartments in North Cyprus, which are held in trust, and that rental income is collected by a well known British estate agent.”

Speaking from the UK yesterday, Hardy said he was “not prepared to enlarge on the rumours” but that there was “substance” to them and he was not reporting “on a scurrilous basis”.

Nevertheless the property developer did not wish to be drawn into the issue further.

“I cannot definitely say that she [Blair] does own property in North Cyprus in her name or an alias. I cannot confirm that,” said Hardy.

However the “story will probably resurface”, he added.

No one was yesterday available for comment from Blair’s law firm, Matrix Chambers.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.