Nicaragua government accuses Catholic Church of money laundering, freezes accounts

FILE PHOTO: Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega delivers a speech during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba in commemoration of the 18th anniversary of the creation of ALBA-TCP at the Convention Palace in Havana, Cuba, December 14, 2022. Yamil Lage/Pool via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Nicaraguan police said on Saturday they are investigating several dioceses of the Catholic Church for money laundering, a day after local media reported that the bank accounts of parishes in the Central American country had been frozen.

The police, loyal to the government of President Daniel Ortega which has clashed fiercely with Nicaragua's bishops, said that since May 19 they found "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in Church facilities in various parts of the country.