Clerics held on fraud charges

Two clerics in Farsala, southern Thessaly, have been arrested on charges of embezzling hundreds of thousands of euros in forged wage slips.

The two priests, aged 36 and 38, who are in charge of the payroll department at the Thessaliotida and Fanariofarsala Metropolis, were caught red-handed by Larissa police officers as they were collecting 28,864 euros in salaries for Farsala priests — 20,000 more than the legal amount — from the local bank.

The two have been charged with forgery, fraud and embezzlement.

Police said the clerics are believed to have embezzled some 690,000 euros between January and June.

During a search of the 36-year-old priest?s house, officers found a large number of authentic pay slips.

The suspects are set to appear before a Larissa prosecutor in the coming days.