The Legionaries of Christ say that corporations in tax havens respected the law

The congregation of The Legionaries of Christ pointed out today that all the societies they had in tax havens were created during the time of their founder Marcial Maciel and they were already closed, and that were managed in full respect of the law.

Vatican City, November 14 (EFE) .- The congregation of The Legionaries of Christ pointed out today that all the societies they had in tax havens were created during the time of their Marcial Maciel founder and they were already closed, and that they were managed in full respect of the law.

The international investigation "papers of paradise", disseminated in Italy by the newspaper L'Espresso and the "Report" program of public television RAI, revealed on Sunday that the congregation managed its income derived from its educational system through several companies in Bermuda, Panama, Jersey and the Virgin Islands.

In this regard, the spokesman for the international office of the Legionaries of Christ, Father Aaron Smith, already explained to EFE that all Corporations of the Legionnaires in tax havens "were already closed" despite what was indicated in this investigation.

The Legionaries of Christ extended this affirmation in a statement issued today in which they argue that "the companies in tax havens that had any relationship with the congregation or with its members were managed respecting the law and they were not created for illegal activities as some journalists seem to say. "

According to the" paradise papers "one of the companies registered in Bermuda to manage more than 300 million dollars of revenue was the "International Volunteer Services", with the advice of Appleby.

Before this, the Legionaries of Christ affirm that this society never managed "financial funds",

"Currently, the educational works related to the congregation act in total transparency, are subject to controls and respect the legal provisions and prosecutors of the respective countries where they are and do not have relations, nor operate with companies present in tax havens, "they added.

The Legionaries of Christ were intervened in 2010, and Cardinal Velasio de Paolis was appointed as manager, after it was proven that Maciel, who died in 2008, committed sexual abuse against seminarians, had several children with different women and was a habitual consumer of drugs.

A Commission for the study and review of the economic situation was established then in a report presented in 2014 concluded that "there was no misappropriation of money or other irregularities in the annual accounting reviews".