A Vatican cardinal and former advisor to Pope Francis was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail on Saturday.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu was convicted in a trial that lasted two-and-a-half years and concerned 9 different defendants. Becciu resigned from his high-ranking submit inside the Catholic Church in 2020, however mentioned he was advised to take action by the Pope after an investigation into potential monetary crimes was printed by Italian information journal L’Espresso.
As soon as thought of a papal contender, Becciu grew to become the primary cardinal ever prosecuted by the Vatican’s courtroom, the Related Press reported.
Becciu was additionally discovered not responsible on some prices. He has beforehand denied the allegations, and his lawyer mentioned he would enchantment the sentencing.
A lot of the prices centered on a “extremely speculative” buy of a luxurious property in London’s prosperous space of Chelsea, whereas Becciu was a senior chief within the Vatican’s Secretariat of State. The property was later bought at a lack of a minimum of €140 million ($152 million), Vatican Information mentioned.
Two financiers concerned within the property sale had been additionally discovered responsible of economic crimes and obtained sentences of five-and-half years and 6 years.
The preliminary London investigation led to different allegations, with prosecutors accusing Becciu of embezzlement for sending €125,000 ($136,000) of Vatican cash to a charity run by his brother and paying a girl €575,000 ($627,000) for her intelligence companies, the AP reported. The girl was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months.
In response to the primary accusation, Becciu argued the native bishop requested the cash, which remained with the church, to assist charity work. To the latter, he mentioned he thought the cash was going to pay a safety service to barter the discharge of a nun taken hostage by militants related to al-Qaeda in Mali in 2017.
Two former Vatican officers had been additionally sentenced to seven years on Saturday, whereas one other two obtained fines, Vatican Information mentioned. A lawyer and former advisor to the Secretariat, who helped negotiate the property deal, obtained one 12 months and 10 months.
TIME reached out to the Vatican press workplace, which was not open on the time of publication, for info and remark.
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