Senior Italian cardinal faces trial in Vatican for financial crimes

A senior Italian cardinal is among several officials who are scheduled to stand trial in the Vatican late this month over a range of financial corruption charges.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, formerly a senior official in the Vatican administration and a close ally of Pope Francis, as well as nine other individuals will go on trial on July 27 over charges of financial crimes, including embezzlement, money laundering, fraud, extortion and abuse of office.

Becciu will be mainly prosecuted over alleged financial wrongdoing linked to a case concerning the purchase of a plush property in central London that happened under his watch.

Among the defendants are two top officials at the Vatican’s Financial Intelligence Unit, who face abuse of power charges for allegedly failing to adequately protect the Vatican’s interests as they controlled millions of euros of Vatican money, including private donations to the Church.

Media reports said the Vatican had lost several hundred millions of euros on the London property and other bad investments by the charged officials.

Pope revises Church law, updates rules on sexual abuse

Pope Francis has issued the most significant reform to Catholic Church law in four decades, requiring bishops to take action against clerics who abuse minors and vulnerable adults, commit fraud, or attempt to ordain women.

The 73-year-old Cardinal, who was fired from his post by the pope last year for alleged nepotism, becomes the most senior Vatican official to be charged with financial crimes. He has maintained his innocence during a two-year investigation.

Pope Francis personally gave the required approval last week for Becciu to be indicted, with the Vatican announcing the indictments in a two-page statement.

According to the indictment request, Becciu is charged with five counts of embezzlement, two of abuse of office, and one count of inducing a witness to commit perjury.

The indictment said Becciu tried to “heavily deflect” the inquiry into Vatican investments, including the London building and tried to discredit the investigating magistrates via the Italian media.

Becciu said in a statement that he was the "victim of a plot" and protested his "absolute innocence.” The senior Cardinal said he had been pilloried by the media and looked forward to a chance to explain.

A statement posted on the Vatican website said investigations had been carried out in several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Jersey, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Switzerland.

That work had "brought to light a vast network of relationships with operators in the financial markets that have generated substantial losses for the Vatican finances, having also drawn on the resources intended for the personal charitable works of the Holy Father,” it read.

The Vatican website said four companies had also been charged in the case.

Pope Francis, who was appointed in 2013 with a mission to sort out the Vatican finances, admitted in November 2019 that the Vatican was caught in a corruption "scandal."

The pontiff's attempts at reform have faced fierce opposition. He said in 2017 that trying to change the Vatican government was like "cleaning the Egyptian sphinx with a toothbrush."

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk