Osiou Avakoum monk arrested

One of the monks involved in the Osiou Avakoum monastery scandal has been arrested and is appearing in Nicosia District Court, it emerged on Tuesday.

According to his lawyer Adriana Klaedes, the police executed an arrest warrant and Archimandrite Nektarios is currently before the Nicosia District Court, which will request his detention.

Information from the police says that the reason for the arrest has to do with the financial aspect of the case being investigated by the authorities, while he is being investigated on about eleven charges of embezzlement, conspiracy to embezzle, and obtaining money under false pretences.

The police were looking into financial crimes related to the scandal at the Osiou Avakoum monastery, where €800,000 in cash was found that was unaccounted for, while some of the monks were also found to own private property in Greece and Limassol.

Police are also investigating alleged crimes by the Bishop of Tamassos Isaias, who had alerted the church the scandal and is alleged to have brought close to 30 men and 10 hooded figures to remove the monks from the monastery forcibly.