Vaxevanis Ordered To Pay 10,000 Euros in damages to Vatopedi Monastery

View of the Vatopedi monastery in Mount Athos (April 2006). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another trial ended on Monday concerning the infamous land swap scandal of Vatopedi. Some may recall that the scandal (which was later proven not to be a scandal at all, but a tool for propaganda), was used to bring down the government of former PM Costas Karamanlis.

On Monday, a court partially vindicated the monastery in a lawsuit against reporter Costas Vaxevanis who was ordered to pay 10,000 Euros compensation to the monastery for two false reports.

The first instance court deemed that Vaxevanis used insulting terms in reference to the monastery in a 2010 article in the Epikaira magazine and later on he attempted to defame and discredit Elder Ephraim in another story which was published in the Unfollow magazine, in 2012.

Both articles apparently refer to Vatopedi’s controversial role in a real estate swap deal with the state.