Church and Nightclub Scandal: Catholic Money Laundering Allegations

Greek officials have frozen the assets of five cafe and nightclub owners, suspected of laundering over 3 million euros from Catholic Church funds. The anti-money-laundering authority uncovered the suspicious transfers and notified a prosecutor. The Holy Synod awaits official information before commenting.

Greek authorities have taken decisive action by freezing the bank accounts and assets of five cafe and nightclub owners under suspicion of laundering funds originating from the Catholic Church. A senior official and local media sources revealed this development on Thursday.

A thorough investigation unearthed that over 3 million euros were transferred from the Church's funds to the entrepreneurs' accounts, a source close to the matter disclosed to Reuters. This discovery led the nation's anti-money-laundering authority to forward their findings to a prosecutor, who is anticipated to conduct a separate investigation.

In contrast, the Holy Synod of the Catholic Church in Greece announced that they have not yet been officially notified about the allegations by Greek authorities. They have stated they will withhold comment until properly informed. It was noted the businessmen involved operate in the southern Peloponnese region.

(With inputs from agencies.)