The Vatican Court of Appeal has ordered a partial retrial in the high-profile London property finance case, ruling that key parts of the original proceedings were invalid due to procedural issues. Source: EWTN News.
The case stems from the Vatican Secretariat of State’s investment of approximately 350 million pounds ($A658 million) in a luxury property in London, an operation that generated estimated losses of up to 139 million euros ($226 million) for the Holy See.
In a decision yesterday, judges found a “relative nullity” in the trial involving the Secretariat of State’s investment in the London building, widely known as the “trial of the century”.
The ruling does not overturn the original trial or its verdicts but requires that portions of the case be reheard.
The original trial concluded in December 2023 after 86 hearings. The Vatican tribunal sentenced Cardinal Angelo Becciu to five years and six months in prison, along with a lifetime ban from public office, marking the first time a cardinal had ever been convicted by a Holy See court.
Nine of the 10 defendants were found guilty of various charges, including embezzlement, fraud, money laundering, and abuse of power.
The court determined that four decrees issued by Pope Francis during the investigation, which altered procedural rules and were not publicly promulgated, undermined the legitimacy of some investigative acts.
As a result, prosecutors must refile the full body of evidence by April 30, with a new timetable for proceedings to follow.
The original trial ended with prison sentences totalling more than 37 years and about 200 million euros ($325 million) in damages ordered.
Defence attorneys had long argued that the case was compromised by incomplete evidence filings and procedural irregularities. The appeals court upheld many of those objections while maintaining that the first-instance judgment still carries legal effect.
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Vatican court orders partial retrial in ‘trial of the century’ finance case (By Andrea Gagliarducci, EWTN News)
