K P Yohannan, Bishop of Believers Church in Kerala is facing further actions from the Income Tax Department in the money laundering case. Cheruvally Estate, owned by the Believers Church, was confiscated by the Income Tax Department.
Along with the estate, the Income Tax Department seized 2000 acre land, which also included the land area for Sabarimala Airport Project. The action taken has been a part of the investigation in connection with the money laundering case of Believers Church, including the receipt of Rs 6,000 crore unaccounted foreign aid. Earlier, the Income Tax Department had summoned K P Yohannan to appear personally before the IT office for questioning regarding the Rs 6000 crore unaccounted money received from abroad. Yohannan had sent a reply notice to the Director General of Income Tax informing that he is not in a stage to travel and will reach the IT Office in December.
Meantime, the IT Department started to tighten the measures against K P Yohannan as he did not appear before the IT Office in December. Now, K P Yohannan is reported to be in the Gospel for Asia Headquarters in Texas, USA. The raid conducted in Believers Church in early November last year revealed blatant violation of the Foreign Exchange Control Act as the church received crores as donations globally in the name of Gospel for Asia. Documents of nearly 30 paper trusts were also obtained. The IT Department also unearthed massive unaccounted money transactions carried out by different trusts under the Church. The raid was conducted in K P Yohannan’s house also.
