Cardinal George Alencherry, head of Syro-Malabar Church

KOCHI: The committee that probed the land transactions in the Syro-Malabar Church has pointed out that the church authorities failed to conduct audit and file I-T returns for 2016-17. In its final report, the committee also stated that the church authorities made transactions to the tune of Rs 9.38 crore without any documents.

The committee found that many of the land parcels of the church have been mortgaged for raising funds for purchasing holdings at Kottappady and Mattoor. As per the report, the church paid a total of Rs 17.43 crore to various banks as interest against loans in the past four years. "In fact, all the money, which should have been used for evangelization and charity have been swallowed by banks as interest," the committee stated in its report. Besides, the Varantharappally Estate , holdings in Mattoor, Kottappady, Perumanoor, Chunangamvely near Aluva and one near Ambedkar Stadium in Kochi have also been pledged as bank guarantee for raising funds.

"The church had been conducting audit and filing I-T returns regularly. During 2016-17 fiscal, we couldn't do so due to the situation arose out of land deals. The audit could have been conducted only after receiving money, which we owed from those who purchased our land," a senior priest with the church said. "Now, we have started measures to conduct the audit and file I-T returns. However, the fact that those purchased land from us haven't paid the money remains an unsolved issue," he said.

The report states the church suffered losses to the tune of Rs 48 crore in various land deals. "We have constituted a committee convened by Fr Mathew Manavalan . The committee is expected to find solutions to all the issues pertaining to the land deals," a priest said.

Meanwhile, a circular, to be issued by the archbishop and auxiliary bishops, would be read out in the parishes only on next Sunday.

