(1987)1986July 30 ITRIANTAFYLUDES,P.] INTHE MATTEROFARTICLE 146OFTHE CONSTITUTION ANNAYIANGOU, Applicant, v. THE REPUBLICOFCYPRUS, THROUGH THEDIRECTOROFCUSTOMS, Respondent. (CaseNo. 272/84). CustomsandExciseDuties—Motorvehicles, importationofbyCypiiots—Exemption from importduty—Order188/82publishedon11.6.82—Therelevant applicationforexemptionshouldbesubmittedwithinareasonabletimefrom applicant's return to Cyprus forpermanent residence—Evaluation ofsuch factorlefttothediscretionoftheDirectorofCustoms—Thereasonablenessof 5 theperiodhas tobejudgedfrom the time ofapplicantsreturn andnotfrom thedateofthepublicationofthesaidOrder. Therespondentfoundthattheapplicant,whohademigratedtoEnglandin 1958,returnedtoCyprusforpermanentresidenceinApril,1981 andnoton the6.3.82asallegedbytheapplicant.Asaresultofthesaidfindingthere- 10 spondentreachedtheconclusionthatapplicant'sapplicationdated29.6.82, whereby she sought under the provisions of Order 188/82, published on 11.6.82, the dutyfree Importation ofa motorcarinCyprus,had notbeen submitted within a reasonable time from her return to Cyprusand ought, therefore,tobedismissed. 15 Hencethepresentrecourse. Held, dismissingthe recourse:
(1)Inthecircumstancesofthiscaseitwas reasonablyopentotherespondenttofindthattheapplicanthadcomeback toCyprusinApril, 1981.
(2)Thereasonablenessoftheperiodelapsingbetweensomeone'sreturnto 20 Cyprus for settlement and thesubmission of an application for the freeof customsdutyimportationofamotorcarisanessentialprerequisiteforobtainingthebenefitunderOrder188/82.Theevaluationofthisfactorislefttothe discretionoftherespondent.
(3)Inthiscasethereasonablenessofthesaidperiodhadtobejudgedbyre- 25 ferencetoApril1981,whentheapplicantreturnedtoCyprusandnotbyreferencetothedateofpublicationofthesaidOrder. Recoursedismissed. Noorderastocosts. 18 3C.L.R. Ylangonv. Republic Recourse. Recourse againstthe refusal ofthe respondenttograntapplicantapermittoimportfreeofcustomsdutyamotorcarasarepatriatedCypriot. 5 C.LoizouwithG. Yiangou, fortheapplicant. M. Photiou, fortherespondent. Cur.adv. vu!t. TRIANTAFYLLIDESP.readthefollowingjudgment.Theapplicantbymeansofthepresentrecoursechallengestherefusalofthe 10 respondenttopermithertoimportfreeofcustomsdutyamotorcarasaCypriotwhohadreturnedfromabroadtosettleinCyprus. Therelevantlegislativeprovisionsaretobe found inanOrder whichwaspublishedintheOfficialGazetteonthe11thJune1982 (No.188,ThirdSupplement, PartI). 15 It appears that the applicant would be entitled to the free of customsdutyimportationofamotor-car,undertheprovisionsof the said Order, had itbeen found bytherespondent Directorof Customsthatshehadsoughtsuchimportationwithinreasonable timeafter shehad comeback from Enyiandwhereshehademi20 gratedwithherparentsin
- TheapplicantreturnedtoCypruswithherhusbandanddaughterInApril1981.Thehouseholdandpersonaleffectsofthefamily wereclearedfromtheCustomsbyherhusbandwhodeclared in therelevantcustomsform, dated 13thJune 1981,thatheinten25 dedtostayinCyprus«permanently». Afterthepublicationonthe11thJune1982oftheaforementionedOrder(188/82)theapplicantsought,onthe29thJune1982, thefreeofcustomsdutyimportationofamotorcarandsheputforwardthecontention,inaletterdated5thFebruary 1983,thatshe 30 had come back to Cyprus for permanent residence on the 6th March1982,andnotinApril1981,becauseinApril1981shehad onlycometoCyprustoexplorethepossibilityofsettlinghere,but she and her husband had not definitely decided to do so until MarchorApril
- *** OnthebasisoftherelevantfactsbeforehimtherespondentDirector did notacceptthis contention oftheapplicant and found thattheapplicantwasnotseekingthefree ofdutyimportationof 19 Triantafyllides P. Ylangou v. Republic
(1987)amotor-carwithin reasonable timeafter herreturntoCyprusinApril
- Ihave reached theconclusion, inthe lightofallthematerialbefore me,that intheparticularcircumstancesofthiscaseitwasreasonably open to the respondent Director of Customs to find that theapplicant had come back toCypruswithher husband tosettle here in April 1981 and this is why they brought their household and personal effects to Cyprus inJune
- 5 Inmyopinion anysecond thoughts whichtheapplicantand her husband mayhave had subsequently, andtheirtripstoEnglanda- 10 fterApril1981, cannotbetreatedaspreventingtherespondentDirector of Customs from concluding that they had returned from EnglandinordertosettleinCyprusinApril 1981.Moreover, Iam ofthe viewthatitwasreasonably open totheDirectorof Customs to find that the period from April 1981 tillJune 1982, when she 15 soughtthe free ofcustomsdutyimportation ofamotor-car,wasof such length that he could not find that the applicant was seeking duty free importation within reasonable time after her return to Cyprus. Itistobe noted thatthe reasonablenesss ofthe period elapsing 20 between the return of someone to Cyprus to settle here and his claim for the free ofcustomsduty importation ofa motor-car isan essential prerequisite expressly provided forinOrder 188/82 and the evaluation of thisfactor isleft to the discretion of the Director ofCustoms. Itiscorrect that Order 188/82 was not published untilthe 11th June 1982and theapplicantsoughtthefreeofdutyimportationof a motor-caronthe29thJune 1982;but,inmyopinion,thereasonableness of the time that elapsed has to bejudged by reference to April 1981, when the applicant returned from England, even 30 thoughatthattimethesaidOrderhadnotyetbeen made, because otherwise there would be entailed the somewhat paradoxical resultthatsomeone who hasreturned toCyprustosettlehere permanently, even many years before the making of Order 188/82, would be entitled tothe benefit granted byitprovided heapplied 35 reasonably soon after itwaspublished on the 11thJune 1982.In my opinion, the respondent Director of Customs was, in effect, empowered tograntthesaidbenefit onlytopersonswhoreturned toCypruseitherafter themaking'of Order 188/82orsoshortlybe20 25 3 C.L.R. Yiangou v. Republic TriantafylHdes P. foreitthattheymightbefound tohavesoughtsuchbenefitwithin reasonabletimeaftertheirreturntoCypnis. Foralltheforegoing reasonsthisrecoursefailsanditisdismissed;butwithnoorderastoitscosts. Recoursedismissed. No order astocosts. 21