Third Anti-Money Laundering Authority report on the Catholic Church: Bishop of Syros sent €3 million to nightlife entrepreneurs

Scandals are no strangers to the Vatican, but this time the latest financial scandal to hit the Church of Rome has its origins in Greece. The Bishop of Syros and Catholic priests are involved in a serious financial corruption scandal worth 3 million euros of the funds of the Greek Catholic Church are said to have been funneled into the accounts of entertainment entrepreneurs in Achaia.

Two high-ranking Catholic priests and six businessmen are under investigation, one of whom has a criminal record for extorting an Orthodox Metropolitan. The anti-Money laundering The authority, led by former Supreme Court deputy prosecutor Charalambos Vourliotis, ordered the freezing of the bank accounts of those involved. The case is currently being investigated by the Syros Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The businessmen are said to have received large sums of money from four affiliated foundations through secret channels Catholic Church in Greece, which are led by two senior Catholic priests, one of whom is of Polish descent.

It is worth noting that Mr Vourliotis’ order does not include freezing the bank accounts of Catholic church foundations in Greece itself.

Following the freezing of the accounts of the six businessmen and the transfer of the file to Aegean prosecutor Odysseas Tsormpatzoglou, Mr Vourliotis informed the Holy See in the Vatican in writing.

The investigation began when the Anti-Money Laundering Authority received alerts from banks reporting suspicious transfers of large amounts of money from the Greek Catholic Church foundations to accounts of nightclub owners in the capital of Achaia. The Authority took immediate action, conducted a thorough investigation and used all legal means to determine the full extent of the money laundering operation and those involved.

The research showed that approx €3 million was diverted to nightclubs for various activities in the field of prostitution, drugs and protection programs. This flow of money came from specific bank accounts controlled by the two high-ranking Catholic priests in Greece and eventually reached the accounts of specific nightclub owners as investments in such activities. These underground routes reportedly started more than eight years ago.

The investigation revealed serious criminal offences, including embezzlement and money laundering, linked to illegal activities.

One of the six businessmen believed to be the mastermind of the scheme had previously been convicted of extorting an Orthodox metropolitan who died just days after the businessman’s conviction, giving a sinister twist to the case.

Following the Anti-Money Laundering Authority’s report, Prosecutor Tsormpatzoglou ordered a preliminary criminal investigation, summoning the six businessmen to Syros to provide explanations to the investigating judge. The owner of the betting office involved, together with others who were involved in the preliminary investigation, will also be called to testify.

Finally, the two senior priests of the Greek Catholic Church, whose role in the case remains under scrutiny, will appear before the public prosecutor’s office in Syros.