By Daoud Kuttab

The Superior Court of California in Saint Bernardino County, heard testimony Friday, October 21^st from the American Jordanian plaintiff who has filed suit against the Catholic Church and its University in Madaba, Jordan.

The court has been deliberating, for a long time, on the issue of whether or not it has sufficient jurisdictional grounds to proceed with Plaintiff’s $31 million claim for damages against the Holy See and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem arising out of their business dealings.

In a deposition filed a day earlier and under oath, a Knights of the Holy Sepulchre Lieutenant admitted that more than a million dollars in funding are provided each year from its Los Angeles headquarters to the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem. 

Judge Donald Alvares allowed plaintiff Seryani’s testimony over strenuous objections from the Church’s defense counsel.  The Judge advised all parties that he would give the proper weight and credence that Seryani’s testimony deserved.

Seryani, a California businessperson of Jordanian origin, testified he was recruited by then-Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, to manage the assemblage of the equipment and supplies needed to establish a world-class institution of learning in the Catholic-owned the American University of Madaba, in the Middle East country of Jordan. 

The testimony of Seryani disclosed his central role in the acquisition of scientific equipment and the construction of the custom-made kitchen cabinetry from US sources.  The Latin Patriarch specifically requested Seryani’s US-based company, Synergy, to supply the materials and equipment that the university needed.  The level of quality needed could only be purchased in the US. It was acquired and shipped from California, by Seryani’s Synergy company.

Over strong objections from the attorneys representing the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Seryani provided Judge Alvarez with a detailed account of the July 2014 visit to San Francisco by Patriarch Twal to meet with high-level American bankers allegedly for the purpose of “establishing a money laundering scheme” that would have provided far more money than what was needed by the American University of Madaba, according to Seryani.

Patriarch Twal wanted Seryani to approve this scheme and sign all of the paperwork on his behalf to guarantee the commitments of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Seryani testified that “in order to create plausible deniability for his involvement in this potentially illegal scheme, the Patriarch signed a Power of Attorney that gave Seryani the full authority to act on his behalf.”

The revelation of the power of attorney document seems to have surprised Judge Alvarez as well as lawyers representing, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

Due to time constraints, Judge Alvarez scheduled a hearing for Thursday, October 27th to give defense lawyers the opportunity to cross-examine the plaintiff.

Upon conclusion of that testimony, it is believed the Judge will decide whether to grant complete jurisdiction of the plaintiff’s claims in this California Court.

While a number of witnesses in Jerusalem and Amman were prepared to testify, Judge Donald Alvarez decided that he only wanted testimony from the plaintiff, Benjamin Seryani himself, so that he could evaluate his credibility on the claims he was making.