Avakoum trial hears donors’ claims over chandelier and icon that never materialised

Two witnesses told the Nicosia permanent criminal court on Wednesday that they donated thousands of euros towards a church chandelier and an icon at the Avakoum monastery, but never saw either project completed. The court also heard evidence from a police officer, who presented a report on public Facebook posts linked to the monastery and first defendant Nektarios Georgiou, which allegedly sought donations for various projects. Monks Nektarios and Porfyrios of the Avakoum monastery face multiple charges, including conspiracy to defraud, forgery and use of forged documents, theft by an agent, unlawful possession of property, money laundering, interference with judicial proceedings and filing a false tax return. Meanwhile the two monks have launched a bakery business in Lythrodontas while awaiting trial. During the hearing the first witness, identified as DH, said she had been visiting the monastery for around three years. She initially donated €1,000 for a prayer service for her seriously ill brother, explaining that she neither requested nor received a receipt. After her brother’s death, she decided to make a memorial offering and asked what the monastery needed most. She said GX, whom she understood to be responsible for the monastery’s administration, told her that a chandelier costing around €8,000 was needed. The witness said it took her some time to raise the money before handing it over at the monastery in the presence of first defendant Nektarios Georgiou. She received a receipt dated August 13, 2023. Asked about her financial circumstances, the witness said she received a €300 pension in Cyprus and about €700 from abroad, where she had previously worked. She explained that she had been saving the money for old age and possible illness, but decided instead to use it for the offering. During cross-examination by defence lawyer Costas Efstathiou, she acknowledged that nobody had explained the chandelier’s specifications in detail or whether its installation was included in the quoted cost. She also confirmed she had never been told the chandelier had actually been ordered, only that it would be ordered, and that she had spoken to Nektarios only on the day she handed over the money. After the case became public in March 2024, she visited the Tamassos bishopric and asked a priest whether the chandelier existed. After being told it did not, she reported the matter to police, believing the money may have been used for another purpose. A second witness, identified as EH, testified that she and her husband visited the monastery, where GX asked whether they wished to sponsor an icon that would be placed in a new chapel. She said they chose an icon of Saint Marina costing €750 and were told their names would be permanently inscribed on it, meaning they would not need to make another offering in the future. The couple initially paid €100 in cash as a deposit but received no receipt because, they were told, no receipt book was available. During another visit in 2021, they paid a further €300, again without receiving a receipt, while the remaining €350 was paid on September 11, 2022. When she later asked to see the icon, she said GX appeared uncomfortable and told her it would no longer be placed in the new chapel but in another church instead. She subsequently received two receipts by post covering €650 of the payments, but not the original €100 deposit. The witness also described GX keeping a blue A4 notebook listing different icons and the amounts donors could contribute towards each one. After the allegations surrounding the monastery became public, she tried unsuccessfully to contact GX by telephone and Viber. “I gave €750 as an offering, but I believe that icon was never made,” she told the court. Under cross-examination, she said she had been told the icon would be completed once the new monastery had been built. However, during visits to Fterikoudi she had seen only a small chapel and not the new monastery she had been led to expect. She also confirmed that she emailed the Tamassos bishopric using an address provided for complaints before later being contacted by police to give a statement. The witness acknowledged that her original police statement did not mention requesting a receipt for the initial €100 payment. The court then heard from police officer EK, who presented a report concerning Facebook accounts belonging to the Abbot Avakoum monastery in Fterikoudi and an account under the name “Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou”. She told the court that on March 20, 2024, she received instructions from the financial crime investigation department to examine the accounts. She confirmed the accounts remained active and that she reviewed publicly available posts. According to her evidence, a number of posts sought donations for monastery projects and included bank account details, QuickPay payment information, telephone numbers and the name of GX. During cross-examination, the officer acknowledged that the report did not include every post she had found, only those she considered relevant to the case. The prosecution informed the court it had no further witnesses for Wednesday’s hearing. The trial will continue on September 7, 9, 14 and 16 at 9.30am.