Financial irregularities exposed in Osiou Avvakoum monastery trial

Testimonies presented at the Nicosia Criminal Court on November 9, 2026, have detailed significant financial irregularities at the Osiou Avvakoum monastery. Four witnesses, including a concrete company manager identified as S.K., described a series of transactions involving over €101,000 in cash payments for construction materials delivered between June 2022 and 2024. Witnesses testified that the monastery’s former abbot, Nektarios, requested the omission of invoices for these deliveries to avoid value-added tax (VAT) payments.

Evidence also revealed that invoices were issued retroactively for the years 2022 and 2023 only after initial payments were settled in cash. Additional findings included a forgotten €8,000 receipt found in a drawer and a €3,600 check issued to the Metropolitan of Morphou for the purchase of a wood stove. The defense has contested these accounts, questioning the recording methods of the transactions and the justifications provided by the business owners, who are themselves under investigation for tax-related offenses.

The ongoing trial continues to examine the institutional financial practices of the monastery. The court is expected to further scrutinize the evidence presented, as the defense continues its cross-examination of the witnesses to challenge the legitimacy of the claims regarding tax evasion and irregular accounting procedures.