Abbot Efraim of Vatopedi finally arrived in Athens under police guard on Tuesday afternoon, after deciding to surrender himself to the authorities.
A large number of the Abbot’s supporters and faithful have gathered outside the Αthens Court of Appeal holding candles and expressing their love to the defendant’s face. The arrest warrant was executed Tuesday night, with Abbot Efraim spending the night in the Athens Police Headquarters, at the second basement’s seventh floor.
The Abbot is to be transferred to Korydallos Prison Complex and the underground sixth wing for public finances offenders early on Wednesday morning.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, the Abbot has left his temporary “cell” in the monastery of Mount Athos and employed a boat to the harbor of Ouranoupolis, where police squads had been waiting for him.
More than 200 Abbots from Mount Athos expressed their fervent support to Efraim when he left the peninsula, chanting the Axion Esti, while the bells from the monasteries’ towers rang merrily.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, the Abbot’s doctors gave the green light for him to be transferred, since his health condition had improved.
The Abbot needed to be admitted to hospital to regulate his blood sugar levels, since he had undergone a pancreas cells transplant surgery one year ago.
In the meantime, the President of the Greek Attorneys General Union, Mr. Panayiotis Brakoumatos, noted that the legal system of the country does not discriminate on the basis of social status, religion or race.
“As far as this case is concerned, I will not make any comments, as this is not only opposed to my basic principles but to the Union’s ethics as well” claimed Mr. Brakoumatos.
Following the same line, the President of the Judges Union, Mr. Charalambos Athanasiou pointed out in a written statement that both foreign media and Greek bodies have been poorly judging and criticizing the Greek legal system and its representatives, since “those expressing an opinion are not fully aware of the file against the Abbot”.
However, Mr. Athanasiou commented that the pretrial detention ordered for Abbot Efraim is a measure to be used wisely and carefully.
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