Greek court freezes Vatopedi Monastery's accounts over improper real estate deal

15/09/2008

ATHENS, Greece -- A court has frozen the bank accounts of the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos following a real estate scandal that prompted the resignation of Merchant Marine Minister George Voulgarakis, media reported on Sunday (September 14th). The court also decided to place the monastery's assets under state control until an investigation is complete. Voulgarakis resigned on Friday after being implicated in a questionable real estate transaction between the state and the monastery. Vatopedi, one of the main monasteries in the autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece, traded low-value plots of land for state-owned real estate. Voulgarakis's wife allegedly was the public notary for part of the transaction. Voulgarakis denied the accusations, saying he decided to resign so as not to impede the government's work. (Naftemporiki, Eleftheros typos, Ta nea - 15/09/08; ERT, ANA-MPA - 14/09/08)