The Nicaraguan National Police, controlled by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, published a statement accusing the Catholic Church of various crimes such as money laundering, a charge that was not would have supported according to human rights defenders.
The statement released on 27 May, Saturday states that the police carried out “investigations that led to the discovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars, hidden in bags located in facilities belonging to the Diocese of the Country,” such as those in Matagalpa and Estelí.
The text also indicates that the investigations “confirmed the illegal theft of resources from bank accounts that had been ordered by Law to freeze, as well as other illegal acts that are still being investigated as part of a money laundering network that has been discovered in Dioceses of different Departments”.
The day before, according to what was reported by various media outlets, the regime had ordered the freezing of the accounts of the country’s dioceses and parishes.
Saturday’s statement states that the Attorney General’s Office, the Superintendence of Banks and the Financial Analysis Unit, organizations controlled by the regime, “have confirmed criminal movements with funds that, for the Dioceses, have entered the country irregularly and They are investigating and proceedings have been opened for all these crimes.”
The text also indicates that the Superintendency of Banks has requested the Episcopal Conference and the Archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, the presentation of the documents that show the movements of the bank accounts of the Dioceses “so that it is fulfilled in at all times with the Laws of the Country, avoiding the illegal acts that have been committed”.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa, was kidnapped by the regime for months, before being unjustly sentenced to 26 years and 4 months in jail, a sentence he has been serving since February 10.