Former Kitium Bishop denies rape charges

Former Kitium bishop Chrysostomos on Monday denied rape charges in a formal written statement without swearing an oath on the Bible at the Larnaca criminal court.

The 83-year-old cleric fully accepted the content of the statement he had given to police after a 55-year-old woman filed a complaint he had raped her in his office in Larnaca in April 2011.

He also presented various elements from his previous testimony that has already been presented before the criminal court which he argued, support his innocence.

Reporters who participated in the proceedings said the former bishop did not speak and was not questioned by the prosecutor. He recently underwent surgery on his vocal cords.

Three more witnesses testified during the three-hour court proceedings on Monday, including the accountant and two other employees of the bishopric.

The criminal court is expected to reconvene on September 8 for the final statements by the two sides.

Last week, the court ruled there was a prima facie case against the 83-year-old who has pleaded not guilty.

The defence lawyer initially argued that Chrysostomos was unfit to stand his trial citing dementia, but the criminal court ruled he was in fact mentally fit to follow court proceedings.

The rape claim was submitted to the police after a public sexual abuse report in Greece spurred a nationwide MeToo movement which encouraged many people to report similar incidents.

Police spokesman Christos Andreou said authorities received 34 sexual harassment complaints of which 20 have been submitted to court so far. Seven of the cases are under investigation, Andreou said, while four have been submitted for further examination to the legal service.