A four-week postponement was requested by the new lawyer of the monks of the Holy Abvakoum Monastery – A one-week postponement was suggested by the Synodal Court
Lawyer Giorgos Stylianou requested a four-week postponement of the hearing of the case of the monks of the Holy Abvakoum Monastery, who was forced to accept the one-week postponement proposed by the Synodal Court, as he stated today in his statements, after the end of the proceedings .
Mr. Stylianou explained that he took over the case yesterday afternoon at 7 pm. at the request of Father Nektarios, due to their acquaintance from their law school days. “I accepted on the understanding that I would be given time to study the witness material,” he said. When asked if he would be ready by the 9th of the month, he said that he himself had asked for four weeks, but the Synod only granted him one week and he accepted this schedule.
If the accusations, the issue is deeper, said the monks' advocate
The lawyer noted that the witness material is sufficient and added that, before reaching conclusions, he should take the necessary time to study it. “I believe in the innocence of my clients. I've heard the accusations for the first time today,” he said, adding that “if they're true the issue is not just my clients, it's deeper, why we were allowed to get to where we are.”
In a clarifying question about whether the issue “is deeper” he explained that, if the accusations are true, it is why this situation that is shaking the entire Christian world was allowed, adding that it is not an isolated issue, but a deeper issue. “When millions are played and testimonials can be fabricated and witnesses can be fabricated, that's why I've asked for time to study the testimonials in depth and decide whether I can continue or advise my clients accordingly,” noted Mr. Stylianou.
When asked what he means by “millions are played”, the lawyer said that it was reported that about 860,000 were found in the Monastery and that some amounts such as 50,000 and 70,000 were reported, as well as apartments, accounts and assets of monks. “All this did not happen by accident, it had to be investigated and it must be investigated for each monk individually, at whatever stage, if the conditions are met,” he said. “I can't imagine that there were bank accounts for monks and that accounts for monks were entered separately or that there was the right to acquire accounts from monks,” he added.
In addition to the request for the postponement of the trial, Mr. Stylianou also said that “a pre-trial request has been made before the Synodal Court for the suspension of their prosecution, as the charges against them have already been attributed by Metropolitan Tamasos on 5/3 and have served their sentence”, explaining that this request will be answered on the 9th of the month pretrial.
When asked if he himself submitted the objections that the advocates were scheduled to submit in today's proceedings, Mr. Stylianou declared ignorance of what his other colleagues said. “I made the request when I heard the accusations in the second case, because each accused was on his own and I did not know that the same accusations had been made against them during the examination of the accusations by the Metropolitan,” he said.
Answering another question, he said that today no one testified, but only the accusations were heard. “My clients reserved their answer on the 9th of the month, to the question of whether they admit or not,” he added. He also clarified that the charges are separate, and that for the first accused there were three charges, for the second six and for the third four.
When asked if he will request the conclusion, as the previous ones had advocates of the monks, replied that he does not know what the previous advocates had requested and that he will study the indictment and decide on the 9th of the month. When asked if he shares the point of view of the monks' previous advocates for a “parody trial”, he replied that he cannot say anything until he has studied the witness material.
