General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
By Iliana Kosti
Simplicity is not a word that can describe the Greek bureaucratic system. Given the additional fact that most inheritances face complex legal issues, two case scenarios are examined in order to help Greek-American heirs have a clearer picture of the procedure in case property in Greece is inherited.
CASE SCENARIO A: A U.S. resident or citizen inherits property in Greece by virtue of a will. Which Law applies? Is there a deadline for accepting an inheritance?
In this scenario, the critical questions to be answered are 1) where was the main residence of the deceased, 2) was the deceased a citizen of Greece, or of the United States, or both, 3) was the property inherited via a Greek will or a United States will. Depending on the answers, Greek law or Unites States law may apply.
The Greek Civil Code acknowledges three types of will:
If there is a Greek will, it needs to be published before the competent court or before the competent Embassy or Consulate official. The notary who holds the public will must, upon being informed of the death of the testator, and within a reasonable time, send a copy thereof to the competent Court, and if it is a secret will, to deliver the original in person to the Court of the region in which it is based. In case there is a handwritten will, the possessor, once informed of the death of the testator, must initiate the publishing process for the will. If there is a United States will only, it must be examined to see if it will be recognized in Greece. If there are wills in both countries, which one takes precedence must be examined.
CASE SCENARIO B: A U.S. resident or citizen inherits property in Greece in intestacy (succession by law). Intestacy applies in cases where there is no Greek will, or when the will has been totally or partially nullified, or in the case that the will concerns only a part of the deceased’s inheritance in Greece. Who will be called as his legal heir? Is there a deadline for accepting an inheritance?
According to Greek Law, which relative will be called as heir depends on the succession class to which the relative of the deceased belongs. The classes are divided as follows:
There is no deadline for accepting an inheritance in Greece, but there is one for the renouncement of the inheritance right. The deadline expires a year after the will’s probate by the competent Court or Consulate for the heir who resides abroad, or in case the deceased resided abroad at the time of the death, or if the heir was informed of the passing while residing abroad. If the heir does not renounce the inheritance within the above said deadline, it is conferred that the inheritance has been accepted. An Acceptance of Inheritance Deed needs to be signed before a Notary Public, followed by the legal registration in the Land Registry or the Land Registry Cadastral. Also, a tax statement must be filed.
Iliana Kosti, LLM is a Greek lawyer at the Rhetor Law Firm, Athens, Thessaloniki, which specializes in complex inheritance legal and property issues in Greece. Visit: www.rhetor.gr.
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — With local elections across Turkey days away, legal experts are coaching thousands of volunteer election monitors on the rules they'll need to watch for fraud and ensure a fair vote.
According to Numerator’s 2023 Holiday Preview Survey, as many as 85% of Americans plan to buy candy, food, and other gifts for this year’s Easter celebration.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — With local elections across Turkey days away, legal experts are coaching thousands of volunteer election monitors on the rules they'll need to watch for fraud and ensure a fair vote.
After George Floyd was killed under a Minneapolis police officer’s knee, reporters at The Associated Press wanted to know how many other people died following encounters in which law enforcement used not firearms but other kinds of force that is not supposed to be fatal.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Naz Reid had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 20 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves overcome a sluggish start Wednesday night to beat the NBA -worst Detroit Pistons 106-91.