A group of Polish priests have been charged with illegally importing cars into the country. Prosecutors in the city of Lublin in eastern Poland say 18 priests and monks were among a group of people who abused their tax privileges on car imports. From Warsaw, James Coomarasamy reports:

The priests are among a group of 26 people accused of taking part in the scam, which took advantage of a law allowing religious organisations to import cars duty free. According to the prosecutor's office, it was dreamt up by a 34-year-old priest named as Father Eugeniusz W, and his two brothers - one a monk living in Austria, the other a car mechanic.

It's alleged that while he was running a centre for juvenile delinquents, Father Eugeniusz arranged for 43 second hand cars to be imported, sometimes with the help of forged bishops' signatures. The cars, including Mercedes from Germany and Austria, were then sold or kept for personal use.

Import duties are high in Poland, and the priests are accused of swindling the government out of more than $65,000 dollars. If they're found guilty, they face between six months and five years in jail.