Kochi, July 18, 2019: A police team has recorded the statement of Father Kuriakose Mundadan, secretary of the Presbyteral Council, in connection with the alleged forging of documents to defame Cardinal Mar George Alencherry.
The investigating team on July 17 visited the priest’s office in Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala, and quizzed him for more than three hours.
Father Mundadan of Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese said the police sought details regarding the Church land scam since he is the secretary of the Presbyteral Council that spearheads a stir against Cardinal George Alencherry, head of the Syro-Malabar Church and the archdiocese.
“As part of the ongoing probe, the investigators sought some inputs relating to the case. Being the secretary of the council, I will be able to throw light on the land deals,” the priest told reporters.
Meanwhile, police officials said they were collecting statements from several people and priests of the archdiocese.
Former apostolic administrator of the archdiocese Bishop Jacob Manathodath and senior priests Fathers Paul Thelakkat and Tony Kallookaran are the first and second accused, respectively, in the document forgery case. The other accused are Adithya Zacharia and his friend Vishnu, who allegedly helped Adithya to forge the documents.
The case pertains to the alleged forging of documents that contain details about certain financial transactions in the Church involving the cardinal and others. The documents received through e-mail were handed over to Bishop Manathodath. Later Cardinal Alencherry termed the documents as fake when the issue was raised in the Syro Malabar Church Synod.
However, the Church filed a police complaint and a First Information Report was registered in connection with the forging of documents. On investigation, Adithya Zacharia, a techie, was arrested for sending the documents from his e-mail ID to Father Thelakkat.
Source: newindianexpress.com