Cretan Mafia Scandal: Bishop Denies Sex Tape Blackmail, Admits to Threat

A bishop allegedly entangled with the Cretan mafia has broken his silence, denying claims of being blackmailed with sex tapes but admitting to threats from the criminal syndicate.

The cleric is said to have signed over church property worth €1.5 million to two brothers leading the organization.

Speaking to MEGA, the bishop said, “These people made my life hell. Most claims are false. I’ve heard an arrest warrant is coming, but I haven’t been summoned by the judiciary yet. I’ll testify when called.”

The brothers, who own a hotel in Chania, allegedly encroached on a 175-acre plot owned by the Tzagarolon Monastery. Authorities say a document was needed to confirm the land wasn’t monastery property for the sale to proceed—a document bearing the bishop’s signature, reportedly signed under duress.

“The 2017 certification is absurd—I wasn’t even abbot then. They requested it for declassification. At the time, they assaulted the monastery’s lawyer in front of me. This wasn’t a transfer; the land isn’t part of the monastery’s 700 acres. It was a rocky hill they’d already taken over,” the bishop claimed.

On Past Encroachments and Responsibility

He argued that the issue stems from prior mismanagement: “There are responsibilities from before my time. When I became abbot, there were no surveys or titles. How can you sue without them? They’d occupied the land for 30 years. Am I responsible for every trespasser in the area? Did I give them any document?”

The bishop is also accused of collaborating with the mafia, allegedly directing them to assault and extort others. A recorded conversation in the case file quotes him saying, “I have 12 videos… The only thing he hasn’t ordered us to do yet is kill you.”

He refutes this, stating, “That’s a lie. I only warned them not to trust certain people playing a double game. I never gave such orders. I know nothing about sex tapes or photos used to threaten me. Their biggest threat was when I started a lawsuit—they told me I wouldn’t finish it. And I didn’t; the surveys weren’t ready.”