In a landmark trial, a Vatican court on Saturday handed down a sentence of five years and six months in jail to Angelo Becciu, a once-influential Italian cardinal, for financial crimes.
Becciu, 75, a former adviser to Pope Francis and a previous contender for the papacy, became the highest-ranking clergyman in the Catholic Church to face a Vatican criminal court. His charges included embezzlement, abuse of office, and witness tampering, stemming from his involvement in a problematic Vatican investment in a luxury building in London.
Becciu’s lawyer, Fabio Viglione, acknowledged the verdict, which included an 8,000-euro ($8,700) fine, but announced their intention to appeal, maintaining Becciu’s innocence.
The cardinal was one of ten defendants in the trial, which encompassed financiers, lawyers, and former Vatican employees, all accused of various financial crimes. Becciu’s former secretary, Mauro Carlino, was the sole defendant acquitted.
The court, led by President Giuseppe Pignatone, delivered sentences ranging from fines to over seven years in jail for the convicted individuals. The verdict also mandated the confiscation of 166 million euros from those found guilty, along with an order to compensate civil parties with more than 200 million euros.
The trial shed light on the Holy See’s opaque financial practices, prompting Pope Francis, in a move preceding the trial, to grant the Vatican’s civilian courts the authority to try cardinals and bishops, a departure from the previous practice of judgment by a court led by cardinals.
At the trial’s core was the ill-fated purchase of a property in London’s affluent Chelsea neighborhood, resulting in substantial losses that the Vatican alleged had impacted funds designated for charitable purposes.
Becciu was convicted of embezzlement related to the decision to invest $200 million in 2013-2014 in a fund managed by financier Raffaele Mincione, a move the judges deemed highly risky. Part of this investment went towards acquiring a portion of the Sloane Avenue property, leading to Vatican losses estimated between 140 million and 190 million euros, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi had sought a jail term of seven years and three months for Becciu, who consistently maintained his innocence. Other individuals involved in the London deal, including financier Raffaele Mincione and broker Gianluigi Torzi, received respective sentences of five and a half years and six years in jail.