Abbakum trial: €6,000 gift without receipt and debts of thousands owed to suppliers
Three new witnesses testified in the trial of the financial aspects of the Abbakum case. A disability benefit recipient claimed he gave €6,000 in cash to the monastery without receiving a receipt.
New testimonies in Abbakum trial: donations, debts and disputed invoices
Three witnesses testified on Monday in court examining the financial aspect of the Abbakum case, according to Politis. Beekeeper Menelaos Filippou, painter Haralambos Kekkos and disability benefit recipient Kostas Petsas brought new evidence to light, with the central theme being transactions without receipts and unpaid debts to the monastery.
Beekeeper: 500 jars of honey and disputed invoices
Menelaos Filippou stated that he began supplying the monastery with honey free of charge. In 2021 he delivered 300 unlabelled jars, followed by another 200, with each jar sold by the monastery for €10.
From 2023, Filippou began issuing invoices. He acknowledged that on these invoices he recorded a greater quantity than what was actually delivered, in order to cover the deliveries of 2021 and 2022 that had not been invoiced. He claimed the monastery owed him approximately €2,500 and said he had approached Metropolitan Isaiah of Tamassos, who responded that he could not do anything until the trial was concluded.
During cross-examination, defence counsel for the accused Nektarios, Kostis Eustathiou, challenged the legitimacy of the invoices. "These invoices say nothing. These invoices are a product of your own initiative. They have no relation to the actual time of delivery, nor to their price," said Mr Eustathiou.
The counsel for the accused Porphyrios, Eustathios Eustathiou, put to the witness that Porphyrios had not asked him to keep the honey agreement secret — something that Filippou had previously claimed. The witness disagreed and maintained his account.
Painter: €15,000 debt and lawsuit against the Metropolitan
Haralambos Kekkos testified that he carried out work valued at several tens of thousands of euros — initially at the house of Nektarios's mother and subsequently at the monastery — work he completed in 2024. He stated that the monastery owed him approximately €15,000.
According to the witness, when he approached the Metropolitan of Tamassos for payment, he was referred to Nektarios. Kekkos added that he filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan of Tamassos to recover an amount he had paid for VAT.
Benefit recipient: €6,000 cash in an envelope, without receipt
Kostas Petsas, a disability benefit recipient, claimed that in early 2022 Father Nektarios asked him for financial support of the monastery, mentioning an amount of 5,000 to 6,000 euros and promising an icon in return.
"I collected some money from relatives and friends and received 4,000 euros retroactively from the government," Petsas said. "When I had collected 6,000 euros we arranged a meeting. I handed over the amount in cash without being given any receipt. I put it in an envelope and gave it to someone named Andreas who was with Father Timothy."
The witness also stated that he had been promised his name would be recorded as a benefactor and he would be given a large icon.
Counsel Kostis Eustathiou directly challenged the claim: "I put it to you that such a thing never happened, you are lying." "I am telling the truth," Petsas replied, maintaining his testimony. Counsel for Porphyrios, Eustathios Eustathiou, put it to the witness that he had no contact with Father Porphyrios — something with which Petsas agreed.
Next hearing dates and framework of the charges
The next hearing sessions were scheduled for 5 and 7 October at 09:30.
The principal accused in the case remain the defrocked monks Nektarios and Porphyrios. They face charges including conspiracy to defraud, forgery and use of forged documents, theft by an agent, unlawful possession of property, money laundering from illegal activities, interference with judicial proceedings and submission of a false tax return.
Source: Politis