Lawyer says Polish Salesians being used as financial scapegoats

Published: 2006-06-06

OXFORD, England (CNS) -- A lawyer for Polish Salesians said 10 priests charged with helping to embezzle $135 million in unsecured bank loans were being used as scapegoats. "We're not saying priests weren't involved," said lawyer Krzysztof Wyrwa. "But these loans would never have been taken out without consent from the bank's senior managers. So why has their role been ignored in the charge sheet?" On May 16, 10 Salesian priests were charged with obtaining $135 million from the Kredyt Bank by using fake documents. All face 10 years in jail if convicted for the fraud. Wyrwa told Catholic News Service in a June 5 telephone interview that Kredyt Bank managers had been "well aware" that the loans were unsecured, but had agreed to them in order to gain commission and interest charges from the Salesians. "From the very beginning, the bank has been claiming innocence, saying it was merely the victim," he said. "In reality, its officials cooperated and made it easier for these priests to do what they did."

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