Five prosecution witnesses testified on Monday before the Nicosia Permanent Criminal Court, as part of the case involving the Monastery of Saint Avvakoum. Their testimony concerned, among other things, sums of money given to the defendants for the creation of icons and to support the monastery.
A.Z. was the first to testify; she stated that she met Father Porphyrios in 2020 and that, during their conversation, he spoke to her about an effort to develop the monastic site in Fterikoudi. As she said, she was interested in contributing to the creation of an icon of Saint Ephraim.
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According to her testimony, she was informed that the icon would cost €5,000, an amount that, as she said, seemed high to her, since she had previously contributed a smaller amount toward an icon at another church. As she reported, Father Porphyrios referred her to Father Nektarios, who told her: “We want to create icons that will speak to you, not Mickey Mouse.”
A.Z. stated that she initially paid €2,000 to Father Porphyrios and subsequently €3,000 to Father Nektarios, without, as she said, receiving a receipt for the payments.
The witness further stated that in February 2024, when she asked Father Porphyrios what had become of her icon, he called Father Nektarios and put him on the phone with her. As she said, Father Nektarios told her that the icon would be ready before the feast of Saint Ephraim, on May 5.
During the cross-examination of the witness by Father Nektarios’s defense attorney, Kostis Efstathiou, a written conversation between her and the defendant was presented, in which the amount of €5,000 was mentioned and the style of the icon was discussed. The conversation also mentioned another icon of Saint Porphyrios, in a different style and at a lower cost, about which Father Nektarios allegedly told the witness that it looked like “a kindergarten drawing.”
Mr. Efstathiou pointed out to the witness that the phrase “Mickey Mouse” did not appear in the specific written conversation, while A.Z. insisted that she remembers those exact words very clearly.
At the same time, the defense attorney presented the witness with a receipt dated October 4, 2021, which listed an amount of €3,000 instead of €5,000, with the witness stating that she was never given that specific receipt.
Mr. Efstathiou further argued that, following the events of March 2024 and the defendants’ removal from the Monastery, Father Nektarios could no longer have been involved in the preparation of the icon, and it was not possible for the icon to have been delivered in May. A.Z. replied that “the preparation of my icon was not a last-minute decision,” since, as she stated, the relevant agreement had been in place since 2021.
This was followed by the testimony of K.I., who stated that in 2023 she had made a contribution toward the creation of an icon of Saint Porphyrios, on the occasion of the construction of the church of Saint Porphyrios next to the Avvakoum Monastery. As she explained, in late June through early July 2023, she visited the monastery and asked Father Timothy about the cost of the icon. After consulting with Father Nektarios, he informed her that the smaller icon would cost €1,000 and the larger one €3,000.
Ms. I. stated that she asked when the icon would be ready, and Father Timothy told her that work on it would begin the very day she handed over the money. In September 2023, she said, she handed over €3,000 in cash to Father Timothy, who issued her a receipt.
When questioned by the representative of the Prosecution, Theodora Papakyriakou, the witness stated that she was working at the time as a kindergarten assistant and that she had difficulty raising the amount. “I went without things for myself and my baby so that I could save up the money,” she said.
After the monastery closed in March 2024, K.I. stated that she tried to contact the monastery and the Diocese of Tamassos in order to find out what had become of the icon and her donation, but, as she said, she has not received a response to date.
Subsequently, the witness S.T. testified that in 2020 he had visited the monastery with his son, who had been diagnosed with a serious illness, and that during their visit, Father Nektarios anointed him with the cross of Saint Porphyrios. According to the witness, the cross stuck to the child, leading him to believe that a miracle had occurred.
As he reported, in early January 2021 he contacted Father Nektarios, having learned via Facebook about the monastery’s financial needs, and gave him €2,000 to support it. He also said that the incident with the cross had influenced his decision to donate the money. “I believed he had been healed,” he said, referring to his child.
When asked by the representative of the prosecution, Vasilis Bissa, how he feels today, the witness replied: “I don’t want to express it. I don’t believe in anything. I’ve lost my faith.”
During cross-examination, Mr. Efstathiou pointed out to the witness that Father Nektarios never told him that the child had been healed, but rather told him to stay strong.
The next prosecution witness, A.A., the director and owner of a paper packaging company that supplies, among others, bakeries and pastry shops, stated that the company’s business relationship with the Monastery began in February 2021 and ended in March 2024. As she explained, the Monastery still owes the company approximately €2,590. She also noted that Father Porphyrios was responsible for placing orders and that most payments were made in cash.
The witness also stated that, in the early stages of the business relationship, Father Porphyrios had requested that no invoices be issued for certain orders, adding that this was not possible because, as she said, the company is fully legitimate.
In response to a question from Mr. Bissa about how she would characterize, based on her experience, the monastery’s turnover, the witness stated that it was “relatively large.”
During the cross-examination of the witness, the defense attorney for Monk Porphyrios, Maria Kestoros, suggested to the witness that Father Porphyrios had requested that receipts be issued for the monastery’s accounting records rather than that the products not be invoiced. A.A. replied that the company could not issue a receipt without first invoicing the products.
Finally, S.V., a builder, testified that in 2022, following a verbal agreement with Father Porphyrios, to construct a fence at the Monastery for €800 and to demolish brick walls for €450. He stated that he was paid in full for the work, in cash, by Father Timothy. During cross-examination by Ms. Kestoros, he stated that he has no financial claims or complaints against Father Porphyrios. The hearing will resume on October 7 at 9:30 a.m.
It should be noted that the case involves the monks Nektarios and Porphyrios, who face, among other things, charges of conspiracy to defraud, forgery and the use of forged documents, theft by an agent, unlawful possession of property, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and filing a false tax return.
Source: CNA
