The revelation through the dossier on the Cretan mafia has caused an uproar, with the attempted intervention of the accused as the brains of the case, even in the internal affairs of the Church of Crete, which is seeking a bribe from the former Defence Minister Panos Kamenos to elect their favoured metropolitan of Kydonia and Apokoronas.

After the case was made public, Kammenos admitted that he had spoken to the accused hotelier, who had told him “about a priest”, but he said he never engaged and never returned his calls.

In the dialogue that came to light, which had taken place early last month, the accused speaks warmly and intimately to the former government partner, pointing out that “because he was his” he was being persecuted: “Forty lawsuits,” he says, have been filed against him, and he is continually acquitted, only to get to the “end of the phone call” and raise the issue of archimandrite Melchizedek’s election as metropolitan in the vacant seat of Cydonia and Apokoronas.

Panos Kammenos tells him that he is in America and asks if the election really depends on the “American factor”. The accused hotelier assures him that his chosen one, apart from being a choice of the Patriarchate, is also a favorite of the US – even President Trump himself! Kammenos then tells him that he is “with Kimberly,” referring to the new US ambassador to Greece, and that he is “cleaning up the case.”

The offending quote from the dialogue reads as follows:

Spiral Leader: There is a despot in Chania called Melchizedek, who is a chief mendicant

Panos Kammenos: Yes

Spira leader: This is our man and he is now running to become a despot, because the previous one died, but he was not on the lists. He will be in October 99% of the time because the Patriarchate wants him.

Panos Kammenos: Yes

Spiral Leader: The man is a very close friend of mine. I’ve talked to him about you, you know I tell him, “brother, I was at Kammenos’. The man can support Kammenos, the American base wants him because the area is in the Cape and Trump himself wants this guy

Panos Kammenos: October 10, Kimberly is coming here, where we control the whole system. I’m with her now; she’s next to me

Spira leader: What are you talking about now…

Panos Kammenos: Well, don’t talk too much. If it depends on the Americans, I’m cleaning it up

Spira leader: No, it only depends on the Americans because it’s their territory.

Panos Kammenos: I am cleaning it!

It should be noted that the first vote to elect a metropolitan in the vacant diocese was held last May, and at that time, Archimandrite Melchizedek was not included in the list of eligible candidates. In fact, his friends had gathered outside the polling place at that time to express support for his candidacy and the process is expected to be repeated in October. The accused hotelier was asking Panos Kamenos for this particular archimandrite to become a despot, showing that buffoonery has no boundaries and limitations even in the church. However, Kammenos, in a communication with Skye, which was broadcast on her Power Talk show by Tatiana Stefanidou, said that he was told about the priest, but he did not bother more than that phone call.