Monks face ‘parody trial’ in monastery scandal, lawyers say

A church “parody trial” will begin for monks involved in the Osiou Avakoum monastery scandal, their lawyer Efstathios Efstathiou said on Thursday, with proceedings due to begin on Friday.

Efstathiou told national broadcaster CyBC that the church trial will begin in front of a six-member ecclesiastical court, and that the whole process “suffers from violations of the basic legal principles”.

The church is seeking to defrock the monks, Archimandrites Nektarios and Porfyrios, on charges of immoral relationships, embezzlement of church funds, concealment of church property (through the keeping of €806,600 in a safe) and conspiracy to commit church offences.

Efstathiou said that the defence team has the indictment in front of them, and it includes 10 charges against the monks.

However, he said, the defence does not have the “conclusion of the investigative committee”.

“This demonstrates that this procedure violates basic legal principles,” he said, as it deprives his clients’ right to know exactly all the evidence collected by the team investigating the case.

As Efstathiou explained, knowing the evidence is stipulated in the European convention of human rights and the constitution, as well as in the church’s charter which refers to articles of the constitution.

Another defect of the procedure, as he said, is the fact that his clients have been “deprived of the right” to attend the court with the lawyers of their choice, referring essentially to the issue of the prohibition of participation in the procedure of his colleague, Anastasios Vavouskos.

Efstathiou estimated that on Friday a trial will begin which will be concluded “with summary proceedings” and with a “predetermined end”, while what justice demands is that these people should receive “a fair trial”.

In relation to the procedure, Efstathiou said that it is similar to the procedure followed in civil courts, while he added that they will put before the Church Court issues such as the fact that they have not been given “witness material”.

The defence has repeatedly called for the charges to be dropped against their clients, saying that Isaias had already punished them for the crimes and calling Varnavas unreliable as a witness.

Civil proceedings are also ongoing against the monks involved in the scandal, with a trial slated to start on September 27.

The two monks face a total of 19 charges including: conspiracy to commit fraud, unlawful possession of property, theft by proxy, money laundering, false tax declaration and an act likely to influence a police investigation.

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