a cardinal and 9 others, tried for fraud

The Criminal Court of Vatican go judge the cardinal Angelo Becciu, which Pope Francis has dismissed for his dubious handling of secretariat funds in an obscure purchase of a luxury property in London that caused a gigantic scandal and a millionaire’s hole in the Vatican coffers.

In this case of embezzlement Nine other people and four companies will also be prosecuted for extortion, abuse of power and fraud over their links to an investment by the Secretary of State in a real estate company in the British capital worth 350 million euros.

“The President of the Vatican Court has ordered the summons to trial of the defendants in the case relating to the financial investments of the Secretary of State in London. The trial will begin at the hearing on July 27, ”declared the Holy See. confirmed in a press release.

The Vatican emphasizes that this judicial initiative is “directly linked to the indications and reforms of His Holiness Pope Francis, in the work of transparency and of cleaning up the Vatican’s finances”.

Becciu was dismissed in September from his post of Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and stripped of its rights related to the Cardinalate for his alleged involvement in this matter.

In addition, the broker Gianluigi Torzi will also be prosecuted, which the Vatican accuses of a deception in the sale of the London property which created a hole of approximately 400 million euros in the Holy See.

The prosecution alleges that Torzi at the last minute inserted in the contract a clause which gives him full voting rights in the operation.

But the Vatican hierarchy signed the contract, approved by the two number two, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and his deputy. Neither is charged.

Torzi dismissed the charges and said they were due to a misunderstanding. He is in London while an Italian extradition request is being processed.

Cecilia Marogna will also be prosecuted, who, according to investigations disclosed in the Italian press, received up to 500,000 euros from the funds of the Secretary of State managed by Becciu between 2011 and 2018, when she was the deputy in charge of this organ. which performs the functions of the Prime Minister’s office.

Of this money, approximately 200,000 euros were used to purchase of luxury items in brands like Prada, Tod’s or Chanel.

As she herself has defended in the Italian press, these items were not intended for her personal enjoyment, but were used as gifts on diplomatic trips and other entertainment expenses.

They are joined by an Italian intelligence expert accused of embezzlement.

Prosecutors accuse the suspects of taking millions of euros from the Vatican in costs and losses related to other financial transactions. All suspects deny the charges.

An unprecedented trial

It is the first time that Vatican justice places a member of the College of Cardinals on the dock.

Indeed, in April the Pope repealed the law which prevented cardinals of the Roman Curia from being tried by an ordinary court by decreeing that they can also appear as defendants or as witnesses in a trial before a court of first instance of Vatican, which is also made up of lay judges.

Until now, they could only be tried or instructed by the other cardinals who make up the Special Supreme Court of the Vatican, the only legal entity competent to open an investigation against members of the Roman Curia, or by the Pope himself.

The controversial Cardinal Angelo Becciu

Becciu was the head of the Vatican office responsible for the canonization of saints until Francis sacked him last year due to another issue: the secretary of state’s donation of 100,000 euros to a charity run by his brother.

The Vatican statement says “elements have emerged” against Becciu in connection with the London affairs. His name appeared separately from the others in the indictment because pursuing a cardinal requires a different procedure.

Becciu has denied any wrongdoing by investing in London. In the other case, however, he confessed that he made the donation, but that the recipient was not his brother but the charity.