CROATIA
Naharnet
A Croatian priest dubbed the “playboy minister” for his luxurious lifestyle went on trial on Thursday charged with embezzling some 1.3 million euros ($1.7 million) through the illegal sale of church property.
Franciscan priest Sime Nimac was charged before a local court in the coastal town of Split together with a former bank employee believed to be his lover who allegedly helped him with the scheme, a court official said.
Nimac is accused of selling a plot of land in 2012 without church authorities’ approval.
He then allegedly withdrew the money paid for the property from the parish bank account and transferred it to his own, according to the indictment.
Both Nimac and his alleged accomplice, Jasna Bilonic, pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial.
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