The investigation into the scandal in Saint Habakkuk monastery includes money laundering, fraud, and obtaining money by false pretences, philenews reported on Monday.
The investigation follows the discovery of a large sum of undeclared cash on the monastery’s premises.
Philenews reports that police are looking into possible laundering of criminal proceeds. Investigators are examining how the funds were obtained and why they were not declared to the authorities.
The Ministry of the Interior has provided details on authorised collections conducted by the Abbey, including their duration and declared earnings (if any). Investigators are determining whether the collected sum matches the undisclosed cash found.
Police are recovering footage from the monastery’s closed-circuit system to determine when audio recording was activated, what areas were covered, and if any crimes were captured.
Experts are also investigating whether the recordings are stored elsewhere, such as on a cloud storage service.
The authorities will be questioning the company that installed the system to identify those who authorised sound recording, controlled passwords, and issued recording instructions.
Investigators are particularly interested in footage from the evening of March 5, when individuals from the Tamassos Bishopric, assisted by a security company, seized control of the monastery and confiscated a safe containing €807,000. The origin of this money is a key aspect of the investigation.
Video analysis is expected to address concerns raised by the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection and shed light on potential wrongdoing.
As previously reported by philenews, police have received complaints from believers who allege they were misled into making substantial donations under the promise of witnessing a cure for personal or familial problems.
Commercial banks are providing information on bank accounts held by two senior monks and another individual. The Department of Land Registry is also contributing details on any property registered in their names, with a focus on how such assets were acquired.
Counter-complaints filed
The two archimandrites have filed counter-complaints against Bishop Isaias regarding the March 5 events.
Their lawyers have requested investigations into specific issues, including the closed-circuit system’s operation and alleged threats demanding money from the monastery.
Authorities are finalising investigations into a separate incident where a monk assaulted a woman with a belt and another serious allegation of sexual harassment.
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