The Cyprus Law Reports; Cases determined in the Supreme Court of Cyprus on appeal from the Daavi Courts and District Courts and in its original
jurisdiction: n.a., title varies, 1883/90-, Nicosia, Cyprus, 1893-. (Starting in 1965, each annual volume is divided into the parts: Civil, Criminal; and
Administrative. The origins of this court date to the early British period. By terms of an Anglo-Turkish convention, 4 June 1878, in exchange for
promises of British assistance to Turkey against Russian threats to her eastern provinces, the Sultan ceded Cyprus on a sort of “long loan,” to be occupied
and administered by the British government. That treaty was modified by additional agreements dated 1 July 1878 and 3 Feb. & 14 Aug., 1879. By these
means the British Government acquired full power to exercise all activities consonant with sovereignty. Under the Turkish regime the judicial power
had been merged within the responsibilities of the executive officials. This system was at first continued by the British, but was quickly discovered to
be unworkable; or at least incomprehensible to the British mind. London’s resolve to totally separate the judicial and executive powers, and to
professionalize the courts by the appointment of British personnel at the higher level, was implemented by the Cyprus Courts of Justice Order, 1882. The
new judicial system was comprised of a Supreme Court, headed by a Chief Justice and one puisne judge. The lower judicial system was made up of six
District Courts, several Assize Courts, six Magisterial Courts, and the Courts of Village Judges. In addition, following stipulations of the 1878 treaty,
the Courts of Justice Order recognized special tribunals with jurisdiction over matters involving religious questions related to the Muslim religion.
The latter, the Daavi Courts mentioned in the original title for this series, were Municipal Councils, very carefully comprised of both Moslem and
Christian members, with authority to adjudicate civil matters below a low monetary threshold and to prosecute minor criminal matters. These communal
courts have not survived into modern times. Since 1883, except for a short interlude after independence discussed below, the Supreme Court has been the
final appellate court of Cyprus. Currently it has review authority upon appeal over such Cyprus “first instance” courts as the District Courts, the four
Assize Courts, the Military Court, the Industrial Disputes Court, the Rent Control Courts, and the Family Courts. The Supreme Court is also vested
with jurisdiction to determine the constitutionality of laws, rules and regulations and has sole competence and exclusive jurisdiction to review the
legality of acts, decisions or omissions emanating from the exercise of executive or administrative authority. Moreover, it is vested with original
jurisdiction to issue writs known in English Law as prerogative writs; i.e., orders in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and
certiorari. The Supreme Court may also be entrusted with original jurisdiction in a particular field of law by specific legislation; thus, such
jurisdiction has been vested in the Supreme Court in admiralty matters. Cyprus became an independent republic on 16 August 1960. Prior to independence it
had been, of course, governed by English common law. Therefore, perhaps unsurprisingly, the independence constitution mandated that the Supreme Court
adopt English case law. However, that mandate was rejected by the Supreme Court in 1960. Instead the Court ruled that it would be bound by English
common law only inasmuch as that “be suitable for Cyprus.” Special note should be made of the fact that for a brief period after independence, 1960-1964,
the Supreme Court shared some of its jurisdiction with a Supreme Constitutional Court. See LLMC Title No. 10599.)
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