An embezzlement starting in 2001 involving Jehovah’s Witness elders in Barcelona, Spain was reported in late January 2015. Fourteen congregation elders are due to be sentenced in early February with the prosecution calling for between nine and thirteen years imprisonment for fraud. The Barcelona Provincial Court noted that one person involved in the fraud has absconded and an international search is taking place for his arrest.

About 1300 congregation members appear to have contributed money to a scheme to build a Jehovah’s Witness hospital in Barcelona. It is unclear why such a hospital was necessary and who the medical personnel would have been within the hospital as the Governing Body eschew higher education for the membership.

One complainant said according to economicadigital.es ‘elders lied and have robbed us’.

According to the report 170 million (presumably Euros) were laundered through Swiss bank accounts.

More information

An article about this story was translated by Google from economicadigital.es The facts were rewritten in English.