Catholic Church officials in Greece allegedly sent more than €3m (£2.5m) of embezzled money to be laundered through cafes and nightclubs.
The country’s anti-money-laundering authority has been investigating for months and found that two officials allegedly sent the funds from the church to five bank accounts, a source told Reuters.
The Athens News Agency said they are suspected of embezzlement and that the most recent suspicious transfer was a few days ago.
Accounts and assets belonging to five club and cafe owners from the southern Peloponnese area have now been frozen, according to a senior official and local media.
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Details have reportedly been sent to a prosecutor, who is expected to open their own investigation.
The Holy Synod of the Catholic Church of Greece said it had not been officially notified about the case and would comment when authorities contact them.
