The Nicosia criminal court on Tuesday morning postponed proceedings in the financial case involving the monastery of Saint Avakoum, after defence lawyers argued that key evidence had not been handed over.

The hearing was rescheduled for May 14, when the two defrocked archimandrites, Nektarios and Porphyrios, are expected to respond to the charges against them. During the session, the defendants’ lawyer told the court that his clients could not yet enter a plea. He claimed the prosecution had failed to deliver critical material to the defence team. This included a report dated September 6, 2024, which, he said, contained findings central to several of the charges.

The representative of the prosecution said that the state lawyer managing the case had not mentioned any such issue. However, she agreed to a short delay to allow time to confirm whether the report in question was indeed outstanding. Taking all points into account, the court approved a final postponement. The judge warned that no further delays would be granted.

The court also confirmed that the accused monks will appear under the same bail conditions. A previous arrest warrant for Nektarios, which had been issued with a stay to ensure his attendance, was officially cancelled.

The charges facing the two men include conspiracy to defraud, felony offences, unlawful possession of over €63,000 in property, theft by an agent, forgery, circulation of forged documents, money laundering, false tax declarations and interference with judicial proceedings.