The Greek Australian community of Adelaide continues to hold its breath while following the feud escalation between its two most prominent leaders.
The long-running rift between former president of the Greek Orthodox Community of SA, businessman Theo Maras, and former Industrial Commissioner and Greek leader John Lesses has taken a new, sharp turn.
On 26 July Mr Maras filed bankruptcy proceedings against Mr Lesses, in a bid to recover $75,000 in damages following a lawsuit for defamation he won against him over vile comments made in communications with the Greek community back in 2011.
The accusations made by Mr Lesses in a newsletter and email to GOCSA members sparked concerns over the independence and future of local churches in relation to Mr Maras’ alleged intentions.
In the aforementioned documents, Mr Maras and other organisation leaders were said to be “blatantly treating GOCSA members with contempt, plotting to abandon the organisation’s longstanding independent status and to align GOCSA with the Holy Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia”.
The comments created fears that Adelaide churches would be forced to close if GOCSA relinquished its independence, highlighting that “Maras did not care if three churches close” and that he should be held “accountable for this travesty of process”.
In the lawsuit filed by Mr Maras, Mr Lesses was also acused of altering a photograph of Mr Maras shaking hands with an Archdiocese of Australia Bishop to support his “unsubstantiated claims”.
“[The image] was altered to obscure the fact that the occasion was a reception at Parliament House hosted by [former] Premier [Mike] Rann in honour of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece,” court documents state.
In his statement of claim, Mr Maras stresses the comments left him “injured in his reputation and profession, and has been brought into ridicule, odium and contempt”.
Moreover, his lawyers lodged an affidavit with evidence proving Mr Lesses transferred properties to his wife and son on 13 February, 2012, to avoid his assets being compromised.
Lesses, who fears the battle will leave him homeless, has appealed to the Supreme Court in an attempt to overturn the defamation ruling of the District Court.
As ruled by Supreme Court Justice Sam Doyle, the appeal should stay until the “impecunious” Mr Lesses pays $25,000 towards Mr Maras’ legal fees.
“It is accepted that there is significant risk, if not inevitability, that if no order for security (of costs) is made and the appeal fails with an order for costs in the respondent’s favour, then the appellant will not be in a position to meet that costs order from his own resources,” Mr Doyle said, stressing Lesses had no real estate registered in his name, and no wage or salary.