TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Cardinal and nine others face Vatican corruption charges over London property deal

Cardinal and nine others face Vatican corruption charges over London property deal

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was fired by Pope Francis last year over a donation to his brother's charity, helped arrange the initial investment but denies any wrongdoing.

An Italian cardinal and nine others have been ordered to stand trial by a Vatican judge for alleged corruption in connection with a €350m (£300m) luxury property deal in London.

Those accused include Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was fired by Pope Francis last year; the former heads of the Vatican's financial intelligence unit, and two Italian businessmen involved in the Vatican's purchase of the building in an exclusive area of the capital.

Becciu, who has always maintained his innocence during a two-year investigation, is the highest ranking Vatican-based church official to be charged with alleged financial crimes.

Pope Francis personally approved the judge's decision to investigate and indict Becciu


His name was listed separately from the others in the indictment because a separate procedure is required to charge a cardinal.

In line with church law, the pope personally approved the judge's decision to investigate and indict Becciu, who helped arrange the initial London investment.

The charges against him include embezzlement and abuse of office.

An Italian woman who worked for Becciu was charged with embezzlement.

Italian brokers Gianluigi Torzi and Raffaele Mincione were indicted on charges of embezzlement, fraud and money laundering.

Torzi, for whom Italian magistrates issued an arrest warrant in April, was also charged with extortion.

He is currently in London pending an Italian extradition request.

Both men have denied wrongdoing.

Torzi is accused of having having extorted €15m from the Vatican to turn over ownership of the London building in late 2018, after allegedly inserting a last-minute clause into the contract giving him full voting rights in the deal.

The church hierarchy, however, signed off on the contract, with both Pope Francis' number two, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and his deputy approving it.

However, neither was charged.

Vatican prosecutors have produced evidence suggesting they were tricked by an Italian lawyer, who has been indicted, into agreeing to the deal.

Four companies associated with individual defendants, two in Switzerland, one in the US and one in Slovenia, are also facing charges.

The trial is due to start on 27 July in the Vatican, a statement said.

Becciu was sacked last year as the Vatican's saint-making chief, apparently in connection with a separate incident relating to the his €100,000 donation of Vatican funds to a diocesan charity run by his brother.

While admitting he made the donation, he insisted the money was for the charity, not his brother.

Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×