France refuses extradition of entrepreneur to Southern Cyprus

The French Supreme Court has definitively rejected the extradition of 39-year-old entrepreneur Behdad Jafari at the request of the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus. The decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Earlier, Jafari was detained at Nice airport after arriving on a flight from Istanbul. The arrest was made based on a warrant issued in Nicosia. He was suspected of involvement in the development of plots in northern Cyprus, which, according to Cypriot authorities, belonged to Greek Cypriots before 1974.

The case is connected to the construction company Isatis, founded by Jafari in 2015, which operated in the Famagusta area — including Ayios Sergios, Trikomo, and Akantu. It has not been officially confirmed whether construction took place specifically on the disputed lands.

It is known that Jafari is originally from Iran and received a TRNC passport in May 2023. Later, he obtained a French visa with multiple-entry rights through the French embassy in Ankara.

The entrepreneur’s arrest caused a stir in the Turkish Cypriot business community. The head of the Contractors Association, Jafar Gurdjafer, stated that up to 85% of the land in northern Cyprus carries legal risks and accused the TRNC authorities of failing to effectively protect entrepreneurs internationally.

He also compared the situation to the case of Israeli businessman Shimon Aykut, who previously pleaded guilty to dozens of charges related to the sale of Greek Cypriot property. According to Gurdjafer, such individuals "remain without support."

The Jafari case is part of a series of international investigations related to the use or development of properties that belonged to Greek Cypriots before 1974. In recent years, citizens of Hungary and Germany have been convicted in similar cases.