Brazil charges church leaders with embezzling millions from
poor
Three leaders of Universal Church of the Kingdom of God accused of
laundering cash through offshore bank accounts
Three leading members of one of Brazil's most powerful churches
have been accused of laundering millions in church donations and
using worshippers' money for personal gain.
The charges, unveiled by São Paulo's public prosecutor, relate to
404m reals (£150m) allegedly obtained from mostly impoverished
churchgoers by leaders at Brazil's Universal Church of the Kingdom
of God.
The money was subsequently channelled out of the country via a
network of offshore bank accounts and money changers, federal
prosecutors claimed.
Luís Martins de Oliveira, the prosecutor behind the case, claimed
followers were tricked into handing over money to the church
through "false promises and threats that spiritual and economic
assistance would only be bestowed upon those who made financial
sacrifices for the church".
Prosecutors claim that although the church claimed to have received
around £1.85bn in donations between 2003 and 2006, the actual sum
could be much higher.
The charges also allege the church opened two offshore accounts in
the early 1990s, in the Cayman Islands and in Jersey, to move
donations out of the country.
Church leaders promote "prosperity theology" – through which
committed believers are told their faith and regular, generations
donations can help them achieve material wealth.
But corruption scandals, including claims that donations were used
to buy luxury goods and property, have earned the church many
critics.
The church owns one of Brazil's top media outlets and "temples" in
Europe, the US, Africa and Asia.
The bishop's blog is written in English, French and Spanish as well
as his native Portuguese. With an estimated personal fortune of at
least £1.3bn, Macedo leads the charge in promoting "prosperity
theology".
The church is currently splashing out on a replica of Solomon's
Temple in São Paulo that will cost an estimated £130m.
The "mega-church" will have space for 10,000 worshippers and will
house a replica of the Ark of the Covenant.