‘Govt not interfering in monastery scandal investigations’

The government on Tuesday rejected accusations there were efforts to spare Tamassos Bishop Isaias of any criminal charges amid ongoing investigations of a major scandal surrounding the Osiou Avakoum monastery.

“We outright reject this,” government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis told journalists during a press briefing.

He was asked to comment on rumours there are ‘government circles’ trying to ensure Isaias may be let off the hook for any possible charges.

“If there is concrete evidence, we call on whoever has this evidence to give it to the relevant authorities,” Letymbiotis said.

Already, police has come under heavy criticism for how it has handled the entire affair – now including allegations of money laundering, scamming, sexual harassment and abuse.

The Attorney General and police chief had agreed to wait on the Archbishop’s orders that no action should be taken until a Holy Synod meeting was wrapped.

It raised questions of the separation between church and state.

“We are a state governed by the rule of law and as such, we must wait for the investigations to be completed, to have concrete results so that we can take a position,” Letymbiotis said.

Asked whether the observatory at the Tamassos bishopric has all its permits, along with a slew of other monasteries such as Osiou Avakoum, Letymbiotis said this is a matter for the town planning department.

MPs have called for a broader investigation on the church and money laundering.

“We will not and do not intend to get involved in any ongoing investigation. I repeat, what we want is for the investigations to be completed and for there to be concrete results.”