‘Legal first’ as 10 sue Britain

TEN Cypriots formerly employed by the British East Mediterranean Relay Station are attempting to sue the British government for unlawful dismissal.

The civil suit has been filed in Larnaca and is described by lawyers involved in the case as a first of its kind.

Lawyer Neophytos Pirrilides, representing the plaintiffs, claims it is the first time a Cyprus court will judge a case against a foreign state.

The ten Cypriots are claiming compensation for what they allege was the unlawful termination of their contract (in August 1997) at the station at Zygi.

“They are claiming amounts they are not entitled to,” said Cypriot lawyer Xanthos Clerides, who is acting for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

He told the Cyprus Mail that the other side had filed a state of claim but now needs to file a writ of summons explaining how they are entitled to the money and how much.

“The action is against the British government as the relay station belongs to the FCO,” Clerides said yesterday.

At first he objected to the claim, citing immunity of a foreign state from prosecution, but then withdrew the objection after conceding that a Cyprus court does have jurisdiction in a “commercial dispute” of this nature.

But Clerides said there was a long way to go before the case will be heard. “We need at least one year before we complete the preliminary procedures,” he said.

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.