By Martin Hellicar
BRITISH detectives have returned to Cyprus to question disgraced former Bishop Chrysanthos over his alleged involvement in a scam to defraud British investors.
“The British detectives arrived two or three days ago for further inquiries and investigations,” CID chief Nathanail Papageorgiou told the Cyprus Mail yesterday.
He said the detectives would be questioning both Chrysanthos – who resigned as Limassol Bishop last month – and representatives of the Nicosia offshore branch of the Serbian Karic bank in an effort to get to the bottom of an alleged $3.7 million scam to defraud British investors.
The CID chief declined to say when the British investigators would be interrogating Chrysanthos, saying police were keen to avoid a “media circus”.
This is the second time the detectives have visited Cyprus. They last questioned Chrysanthos, then Bishop of Limassol, in the Summer.
Cyprus police are currently investigating the former Bishop for alleged involvement in over 30 financial scams in both Cyprus and abroad. Papageorgiou said yesterday these investigations were continuing, but the files would not be ready to send to the Attorney-general, Alecos Markides, till “some time in the first three months of 1999”. He said Cyprus police investigators still had to make further trips abroad as part of the investigations.
Justice Minister Nicos Koshis last month stated the file on the $3.7 million scam was only days away from completion.
Chrysanthos, who has always maintained his complete innocence, resigned last month after the Holy Synod presented him with an eight-point indictment related to the fraud allegations. The indictment included charges of acting out of greed and for his own benefit, of profiteering through currency speculation, of taking advantage of his ecclesiastical position for illicit gain and of making unauthorised use of the holy seal to guarantee huge loans.
The Synod accepted Chrysanthos’ resignation and suspended the disgraced cleric from his duties for two years.
Newspaper reports suggested the Church was providing the suspended Chrysanthos with a luxury residence, servants and a £1,000 a month stipend during his suspension. He would also continue to act as a Church emissary abroad, the reports suggested.
Archbishop Chrysostomos said at the time the Church would not be letting the former Bishop “go hungry.”
The race to find a successor for Chrysanthos was hotting up yesterday, with Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos angrily denying allegations that he was trying to undermine the candidacy of Father Athanasios, the Abbot of Machairas monastery.
“I have nothing against Father Athanasios,” the cleric said.
In Limassol, the committee for support of the candidacy of Father Varnavas of Stavrovouni monastery officially launched its election campaign with a press conference.
Elections are to take place in January.
