Mar Meelis Zaia, is the Assyrian Church of the East's Bishop of Australia and New Zealand. He was ordained a priest of the Church in 1982 in California. He was appointed Bishop of the Church’s diocese of Australia and New Zealand in 1984 and arrived to take up that position in March 1985 which he has held up until the present time.
He is the chairman of the Board of Trustees which controls the financial affairs of the Church. Since his arrival, as head of the Church he has steadily built up the diocese in Australia. His duties include fundraising, active pastoral work, and arranging for the purchase of property and the construction of buildings when required. In 1990 he played a central role in obtaining a donation of $1.1 million to build a cathedral in Greenfield Park, and in 1999 assisted in the raising of funds for the construction of a reception hall on the cathedral property. In recent times, he played an important part in raising funds from private and government sources for the construction of classrooms and an administration facility for a primary school.
His Graces's diocese includes all of southeastern Australia, including Sydney and Melbourne, and New Zealand. He said that there are about 19,000 registered adult members who contribute financially to the Church, and about 4,500 registered non-paying members under the age of 18 years. Of the adult members there are approximately 13,000 in Sydney/New South Wales, 3,500 in Victoria, and 2,500 in New Zealand. The Assyrian community also includes about 6,000 people who are not members of the diocese.
His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia was honoured by the Queen of Australia Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the January 26, 2007 in the Australia Day Honours List and was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) medal for his community service through the Assyrian Church of the East and for his pioneering work in the field of education and the establishment of educational facilities. [1]
His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia is also viewed by many in the Assyrian community in Australia and abroad as one of the pioneers of the Assyrian Church of the East in Australia, by expanding and contributing to the growth of the church and its activities. The establishment of the first Assyrian school outside of the Assyrian homeland (Mesopotamia), St. Hurmizd Assyrian Primary School in Sydney was a fulfillment of His Grace's vision. Mar Narsai Assyrain College, a secondary school in Sydney, is now the second school run by the Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, catering to hundreds of student in the Fairfield area and its surrounding suburbs. In 1988, His Grace officially established the Assyrian Church Youth Group, focussing on the teaching and preaching the word of God in Assyrian, which is until present day active within the community.
In 2004 His Grace Mar Meelis Zaia also approved and supported the establishment of the St. Peter and Paul Parish in Sydney; an english-speaking parish created to work for the benefit of Assyrian youth. The fledgling parish has grown from only 50 members to a 300+ strong congregation in less than two years. His Grace has also initiated a number of programs for troubled youth including drug and alcohol addicts.
The Karl Suleman Enterprizes Ponzi scheme
An article published in Zinda magazine linked Mar Meelis to convicted criminal Karl Suleman and his solicitor, Suzy David. It inferred that the trio were intimately involved in the Karl Suleman Enterprizes (KSE) Ponzi scheme used to defraud thousands of Australian-Assyrians[2].
Outraged at the implication Mar Meelis took the extraordinary step of suing the author of the article, David Tiglath Chibo who was also a member of the Bishop’s Assyrian Church of the East’s Melbourne branch. On September 5, 2005 after repeated attempts to serve the summons failed Mar Meelis received default judgment on the law suit he had initiated against the author[3].
In response to the law suit the author’s magazine released the evidence of Mar Meelis’s involvement in the Karl Suleman Enterprizes (KSE) Ponzi scheme in a Zinda magazine article titled Chastity, Poverty & Obedience, The Forgotten Vows of Bishop Mar Meelis Joseph Zaia[4].
The main evidence backed with government documents was summarised as follows:
1. Mar Meelis came up with the Froggy brand name. According to Philip Pham, Karl Suleman's former lawyer, it was Bishop Joseph Mar Meelis Zaia, head of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East, who suggested "Froggy" as a catchy name to Suleman[5].
2. Mar Meelis was a 5% shareholder of Froggy Holdings one of the companies used to raise money from unsuspecting Assyrian investors[6].
3. Mar Meelis Zaia received a company car from KSE given only to KSE architects and agents of the scheme. In a testimony given by the car dealer, Mr. Damelian, of Rick Damelian Sydney, the court was shown just how generously Karl Suleman rewarded some of his architects and agents. Luxury vehicles were leased for Karl and Vivian Suleman, Roger Hyde, Graeme Sinden, Sam Babanour, Bishop [Mar Meelis] Zaia and Jessie and Romil Koshaba’s wife, Elizabeth George[7].
4. Mar Meelis Zaia openly associated with the architects of the KSE scheme. In addition to Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia being seen in the company of Karl Suleman, Joseph Zaia was also openly associating with the other architects involved in the KSE scheme. The Karl Suleman phenomenon reached its zenith during the dinner for the former President of the United States, Bill Clinton in September, 2001 before it collapsed. Some of the diners seated at Suleman's table at the Westmead benefit included Rabbi Pincus Woolstone, Nati Stoliar, Suzy David, and the Bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East, Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia[8].
5. Mar Meelis Zaia actively promoted Karl Suleman and his “businesses” in the Assyrian Church of the East. Besides Bishop Zaia being a 5 per cent shareholder in Suleman's Froggy Holdings he was also known as a warm supporter of Suleman's enterprises and efforts to support the Assyrian community[9][10].
6. Fr. Ashur Lazar one of the ACOE priests under his command was a KSE agent. A priest from the Assyrian Church of the East, Fr. Ashur Lazar also got involved, personally investing and actively promoting the scheme as an agent, as well as, showing unwavering public support for Karl Suleman.“I noticed that even the priests’ brothers were involved and they were making good money,” said Eddie David after borrowing $150,000 to invest in the scheme[11]. One other point raised in the article claiming that Mar Meelis financially benefit from the KSE Ponzi scheme cannot not be fully substantiated although detailed supporting evidence is provided. Company & Property ownership On 29th July, 1997 Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia was appointed Director of GTZ Trading Pty Ltd, having a total of 9,000 sharesAustralian[12]. The registered business address of his company was the Assyrian Church of the East owned Bishopric located in 25 Edinburgh Circuit, Cecil Hills, Sydney. This residence is owned by the Assyrian Church of the East and therefore the Bishop used this for his personal and business purposes contrary to church by-laws; conducting personal business from church owned property. On 17th June, 1998 Joseph Meelis Zaia and Eva Robin George purchase a property in Cecil Hills, Sydney for the sum price of $157,000; Eva Robin George being a known divorcee of the Assyrian singer Raa’d Zaia[13].
A close analysis of the transfer document (obtained from the extracts of the Department of Lands – Land & Property Information) of this purchase between Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia and Eva Robin George reveals that the Bishop and Eva owned the property as Joint Tenants. This means that upon the death of one joint-owner, that owner’s share or interest in the property will automatically be transferred to the surviving owner. A Joint Tenant agreement is the usual way that married couples and those in de facto relationships acquire property. In June, 1999 Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia is approached by prominent members of the Assyrian community in Sydney, notably, Anwar Khoshaba, Dinkha Warda, Phillimon Darmo amongst others, raising serious concerns with the Bishop that he was suspected to be having relations with a known divorcee, namely, Eva Robin George. He adamantly denied the claims explaining that he simply bought the property to assist her as a friend.
On 22 September, 1999 Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia transfers his share in the Cecil Hills property to Eva Robin George as sole owner, for the nominal amount of $1.00[14]. Current property searches reveal that Eva Robin George is still the proprietor of the property. On 9 June, 2004 Mar Meelis Zaia purchased a penthouse apartment in Pyrmont, Sydney for the amount of $720,000[15].
