The president of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, Charalambos Vourliotis, a former deputy prosecutor of the Supreme Court, intervened by freezing bank accounts and assets of nightclub owners in the Peloponnese. These businesses had received large sums of money from two high-ranking priests of the Catholic Church of Greece.
Additionally, the Authority submitted its findings to the public prosecutors of the Catholic Church in Greece to investigate the two priests for embezzlement and the nightclub owners for money laundering.
One of the businessmen had previously been involved in serious criminal activity, also linked to the Church, but not the Catholic Church.
The Anti-Money Laundering Authority has already informed the Vatican of the situation.
Specifically, during its audit, the Authority discovered that approximately 3 million euros had disappeared from the Catholic Church’s funds and had been invested in nightclubs.
This practice began eight years ago. Large amounts of money were transferred from specific accounts managed by the two senior priests and ended up in the accounts of specific nightclub owners, disguised as investments in such businesses.
Banks flagged suspicious large transactions, prompting the Authority to conduct a thorough investigation using all available tools to trace the underground money flow and identify everyone involved.
During the investigation, evidence emerged of serious criminal acts, including embezzlement and money laundering from illegal activities.
Ultimately, the Authority confirmed that 3 million euros had been embezzled from the Catholic Church’s coffers, revealing the identities of the two priests and the nightclub businessmen.
The last money transfer, amounting to 50,000 euros, was traced a few days ago. The investigation is focused on the total amount allegedly embezzled.
To pursue criminal charges, a report was submitted to the public prosecutors of the Catholic Church of Greece, who will investigate the two priests for embezzlement and the businessmen for money laundering.
