Vatopedi land swap trial in last stretch

The criminal trial relating to the infamous property swap between the Vatopedi Monastery and the Greek state entered its final phase on Thursday when two of the protagonists in the exchange, Abbot Ephraim and monk Arsenios, appeared in court in Athens.

Both deny any wrongdoing over the exchange, which took place almost a decade ago and is alleged to have cost taxpayers millions. Ephraim insisted that it was the conservative government at the time that proposed the exchange.

The trial is due to resume on December 15.