Millions of Euros have been transferred to Swiss bank accounts by the Malian Catholic Church, according to documents from the vast survey “SwissLeaks” published by a French newspaper Le Monde.

The revelation has rocked the Roman Catholic Church in Mali. The survey “SwissLeaks revealed that seven accounts were opened by the Episcopal Conference of Mali at HSBC in Geneva, Switzerland.

These accounts were credited with 12 million Euros (7 billion CFA francs), according to the latest bank statements dated 2007.

Three senior Christian leaders of the church, including the Archbishop of Bamako, Jean Zerbo who was recently made cardinal have all been implicated in the affair. Jean Zerbo was quoted as saying that  “It’s an old account. This is a system that we inherited from the Order of Missionaries of Africa that managed the church, “he said.

According to the survey documents, these accounts are still active at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva, which declined to comment.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Cameroon Intelligence Report