Complaint lodged against lawyers in Osiou Avakoum scandal

The Cyprus bar association has lodged a police complaint against two lawyers representing two monks implicated in the Osiou Avakoum monastery scandal, it emerged on Thursday.

The complaint, sources confirmed to the Cyprus Mail, targets the monks’ lawyers, Andriana Klaedes and Anastasios Vavouskos. It revolves around a contentious letter sent to the Holy Synod’s investigative committee, urging for the dismissal of charges against the monks and advocating for Archbishop Georgios to take control of the situation.

The complaint, filed last week, specifically concerns Vavouskos, who is not a registered member of the Cyprus Bar Association. Klaedes, on the other hand, is a registered member and signed the memo submitted to the church’s investigative committee using her firm’s letterhead.

Acknowledging receipt of the bar association’s complaint, the police stated that they were reviewing it.

However, both lawyers vehemently criticised the complaint against them. They accused the head of the bar association, Michalis Vorkas, who represents Tamassos Bishop Isaias and serves on the Tamassos bishopric throne committee, of instigating the “malicious complaint.”

The lawyers also charged that Vorkas has a conflict of interest in the whole matter due to his representation of Isaias, who filed the complaints against the monks.

The Cyprus Mail attempted to reach out Vorkas, but he was not immediately available for comment.

The allegations against the monks had been brought before the Holy Synod a month ago, when Isaias alleged the monks were found with €800,000 in cash, and properties in Greece and Limassol. They were also allegedly caught on CCTV footage having sex with each other.

On Tuesday, one of the monks, Archimandrite Nektarios in an open letter noted that he and the other monks at Osiou Avakoum “have found ourselves accused of things a person’s mind cannot conceive of” since their life was turned upside down on March 5, which was the day a safe box containing €800,000 was seized from the monastery.

“We unexpectedly saw hooded men invade the monastery, violating the sanctity of its space.”

Nektarios added that from one day to the next, “we found ourselves going from monks that had the love of the people, that worked hard and had the respect of the Bishop, transformed into people who deceive the faithful, who steal from the church and sexually harass.”

The monk added they experienced “inhumane treatment” and forced to sign a false confession.