Novo Mesto Bishop Saje reportedly suspected of tax evasion

Ljubljana – The newspaper Delo has reported that Bishop of Novo Mesto Andrej Saje is suspected of tax evasion. On the other hand, Saje has told the STA that he has no knowledge of the criminal complaint that is said to have been filed against him this year, and could not comment on it in detail.

According to Saturday’s report in Delo, a criminal complaint against Saje was sent to the Slovenian tax authorities and the prosecution service three months ago.

It alleges he had received pay for helping out with mass on Sundays and holidays at two parishes in the Diocese of Gurk-Klagenfurt in Carinthia, Austria, between 2014 and the period when he was appointed bishop in June 2021.

The person who filed the criminal complaint urges the authorities to check whether Saje had declared the income as stipulated by Slovenian law, said Delo.

The matter is now being investigated by the Specialised Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Today, Saje told the STA that he was not familiar with the criminal complaint, that is with the documents Delo referred to, and learnt about the matter from the media.

He said he had “never deliberately concealed any income” and that he had “always, to the best of my knowledge” followed the instructions and recommendations of the tax authorities when filing tax returns.

He also wrote that he had not committed “the offence of tax evasion”, which he understands to mean that the perpetrator obtains a pecuniary advantage of at least EUR 50,000 in a 12-month period by avoiding the payment of taxes.

As a religious worker working for a religious community he received but a few percentages of this sum, which makes it “conceptually impossible” for him to benefit from non-payment of taxes the amount more than ten times higher than his income from religious activity in a calendar year.

Saje believes that those who filed the criminal complaint and “seek to smear my good name and the reputation of the Church” are well aware of this.

He intends to cooperate should the authorities open any procedures against him, which would be an opportunity to protect his own and the Church’s reputation.

Saje, 56, was ordained Novo Mesto bishop last September, and became the president of the Slovenian Bishops’ Conference, the Church’s top body in Slovenia, last March.

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