Cyprus Property Action Group gagged.

[Cornholio]

Property action group gagged
By Charles Charalambous
Published on April 25, 2010

THE CYPRUS Property Action Group (CPAG) has decided to close down its existing website following a court order issued three weeks ago at the request of Leptos Estates.

The writ was moved on March 31 against Denis O’Hare, the CPAG representative who owns the current website, by Armonia Estates Ltd and Pantelis Leptos. The company is part of the Leptos Group and operates under the brand name Leptos Estates, while Pantelis Leptos is Vice-chairman of Leptos Group and Marketing Director of Leptos Estates.

In the writ seen by the Sunday Mail, the plaintiffs claimed damages for libel in relation to a particular page on CPAG’s website entitled “Leptos Buyers Action Group Demonstration”.

A guarantee in the amount of €35,000 was lodged with the court in this respect.

The plaintiffs also asked the court to instruct O’Hare to cease publicising the content of the webpage in question and any similar content in any form. Finally, they asked the court to forbid “the respondent” (O’Hare) from repeating in any way the alleged slander contained in the webpage or any similar content.

In its ruling on March 31, the court ordered compliance with the second request.

On the third point, the court forbade “the respondent personally or his agents or representatives from publishing, printing, circulating or in any other way repeating or causing the publication, printing, circulation or in any other way repetition of the assertions which refer to the plaintiffs…and any other similar assertions (that are) libellous of the plaintiffs.”

The endorsement of the court order by the judge states: “If you the respondent Denis O’Hare of Peyia and/or your agents and/or your representatives fail to obey this order immediately, then you are liable to arrest and your property to confiscation.”

In a CPAG update sent out on April 23, the group said: “In this situation it is difficult to imagine how Denis can continue to run CPAG and it is likely that the website, which he currently owns and finances, will need to close down, and he and the current CPAG will of necessity cease to be able to assist buyers. This is due to the possibility that any entity in Cyprus could now use the same draconian measures to attack him and CPAG.”

The update added that “some of us others who are involved with CPAG are absolutely incensed”, and so are “looking at setting up a new limited liability company registered outside Cyprus with the ability to raise funding for advertising, etc.

The new strategy envisaged will be far more strident than has been seen previously in supporting the property rights of buyers who have suffered the pitfalls of buying in Cyprus.”

The Mail understands that the peaceful gathering of the Leptos Buyers Action Group will go ahead as planned in Paphos on May 2.

Property action group gagged - Cyprus Mail

 

[Cornholio]

Update............

The closed CPAG website is now accessible here:-

Cyprus Property Action Group

Cheers!! :smile:

 

[daviddamond]

Cpag

As far as I know the various group leaders of Leptos properties have already arranged meetings with the Leptos management, as they do not agree with such demonstrations.

The pressure for the issue of separate title deeds must not be focused on the developers but we must concentrate our efforts on the authorities.

This is the official position of the company on the issue:

“We wish to refer to a recent article in the local press under the title ‘Property action group is gagged’.

Our company’s policy was always to provide all the possible assistance to any clients and/or groups of people legally representing our clients. In such cases, with most of our clients, we have full and extensive cooperation for many years.
However, it is our duty to take all appropriate actions in order to safeguard our company’s reputation. Furthermore it is our responsibility to protect the best interests of our clients against any action or publications by third parties who attempt to defame us.

This was exactly the case in the recent action filed by our company in order to put an end to defamatory statements and publications made by certain people.

We were forced eventually to take these legal measures which were also the demand by hundreds of our clients. They strongly felt their interests and the values of their properties were irreparably damaged by these defamatory publications.

In those publications numerous of our company’s projects were described as problematic due to issue of separate title deeds for the properties therein. However these properties had separate title deeds actually long before those publications.

Any third person reading those publications would be dissuaded from purchasing any of the properties described in this article. More than that, these publications harm directly all our customers who want to sell such properties.

Furthermore, our company in its long 50 years history has never had even one incident of a refusal by the Authorities to issue separate title deeds for the properties sold nor have we ever refused to comply with our contractual obligations towards our clients. Also our company is timely following all the necessary procedures for the issues of separate title deeds for all the properties in all the projects we sell and furthermore as it can be confirmed by the relevant Authorities, we have never delayed these procedures due to any obligations of our companies to third parties.
Leptos Estates “

David Damond

 

[Lysos]

Interesting that of the 'hundreds of (Leptos) clients' who oppose CPAG's actions none turned up at the Paphos harbour demonstration last Sunday.

 

[Cornholio]

Update............

Libel case against CPAG dropped
By Charles Charalambous
Published on June 12, 2010

THE LIBEL case brought against Cyprus Property Action Group (CPAG) representative Denis O’Hare by Leptos Estates and Pantelis Leptos in March was dismissed yesterday by Paphos District Court.

At the start of proceedings, which normally would have included the presentation of supporting arguments and evidence for and against the claim, a lawyer acting on behalf of the plaintiffs asked the court’s permission to withdraw their lawsuit and the injunction against O’Hare.

The request was granted, marking the end of the case, upon which the packed public gallery broke into applause.

O’Hare had been sued for libel by Armonia Estates Ltd and Pantelis Leptos, in relation to statements published on the CPAG website – owned and maintained by O’Hare – which they considered damaging. Armonia Estates Ltd is part of the Leptos Group and operates under the brand name Leptos Estates, while Pantelis Leptos is Vice-chairman of Leptos Group and Marketing Director of Leptos Estates.

Lawyers for both sides and O’Hare all declined to comment on the reasons why the action had been dropped, but a spokesperson acting on O’Hare’s behalf said that he wished to thank everyone for their support, and especially for the legal testimonies submitted by some property buyers.

CPAG’s website was closed down by O’Hare some three weeks after the writ was moved against him on March 31. Since then, the group’s future and O’Hare’s involvement with it has been under discussion.

Libel case against CPAG dropped - Cyprus Mail