Breaking his silence, the bishop allegedly involved in the Cretan mafia—who reportedly was being blackmailed with sex tapes by members of the criminal organization—spoke out. He appears to have signed over church property worth €1.5 million to two brothers who lead the syndicate.

“It’s true that these people made my life miserable. Most of what is being said is not true. They tell me an arrest warrant is expected, but I haven’t yet been called by the judiciary to testify. When I am, I will go,” the cleric told MEGA.

The two brothers, leaders of the organization and owners of a hotel in the Chania area, allegedly encroached on a 175-acre plot belonging to the Tzagarolon Monastery.

According to authorities’ investigations, a certification from the monastery was required to confirm that the land did not belong to it for the sale to proceed.

This document was eventually produced and bears the bishop’s signature. Sources claim he was forced to sign it under pressure from the criminal organization.

“The 2017 certification is ridiculous—I wasn’t even the abbot then—they asked me for it for declassification. At the monastery at that time, they pushed and beat the monastery’s lawyer in front of me. This isn’t a transfer as far as I know; the area doesn’t belong to the monastery’s 700 acres. It was a rocky hill, which they had taken possession of—how did they acquire it? During the 3.5 years I was abbot?” he said.

On Responsibility and Encroachments
“There are responsibilities from earlier times, from those who didn’t do what they were supposed to. When I took over, I conducted surveys because none existed. How can you sue someone without surveys or titles? They had possessed it for 30 years and had encroached. That area is full of trespassers. Am I responsible for all those trespassers? Did I give them a document?” he argued.

The cleric is alleged to have collaborated with the mafia, acting as a mastermind by directing them to assault and extort others.

“I have 12 videos—pulling your hair, what it says about all of you… what… The only thing he hasn’t ordered us to do yet is kill you. I have him now, in 12 videos, in over a thousand photos… but he’s also an idiot,” he was recorded saying in a conversation included in the case file.

“That’s a lie. I just told them at some point, ‘Don’t trust these people because they’re playing a double game.’ I never gave such an order. They said it themselves. I don’t know about any sex tapes, photos, or anything they showed me to threaten me. Their biggest threat to me was when I started the lawsuit process—they called me and said I wouldn’t finish it. And indeed, I didn’t finish; the surveys weren’t ready,” the bishop maintains.