Father Bob Maguire has demanded an apology from radio's Derryn Hinch after the 3AW broadcaster renewed allegations that the priest laundered embezzled funds to support his charity, reports the Herald Sun.
The allegations centre on disgraced priest and convicted embezzler and paedophile Father Vincent Kiss, who was jailed in 1993 for stealing $1.8 million from the ANZ Bank's charitable trust.
Father Maguire's charity - along with a number of other charities - forwarded funds overseas given to them by Father Kiss to an organisation called the Vanuatu Development Project, which turned out to be nothing more than a cheque account to which Father Kiss was the sole signatory.
Father Maguire confirmed to the Sunday Herald Sun that his charity, Open Family, did receive a commission - roughly 10 per cent - for forwarding funds passed on to it between 1984 and 1990.
He said it was explained to him that the arrangements provided Father Kiss's charities with a number of tax advantages and none of the four charities involved suspected any wrongdoing.
After the scandal became public, investigations by the Victorian fraud squad and ANZ Bank cleared Father Maguire of any wrongdoing.
"We were babes in the woods," he said last week. "We had not seen much in the way of philanthropic assistance before that. You were in good company. Vincent Kiss was a highly respected member of society, lauded by the media, and everything came on ANZ letterhead. You took that for granted as a seal of approval."
Father Maguire said Mr Hinch owed him an apology.