The Vatican City court delivered its verdict this Saturday: Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, former number three at the Vatican, is accused in particular of embezzlement following the “London building” trial. Nine other people were convicted after more than two years of a lengthy trial over financial embezzlement linked to this real estate complex which caused the Holy See to lose tens of millions of euros.
1 min
With our correspondent in Rome, Eric Senanque
The verdict puts an end to a unique trial in the history of the Vatican, that of the so-called “London building”, a luxurious building in the Chelsea district purchased in 2014 by the Secretariat of State. It was Cardinal Becciu who at the time headed this central administration of the Roman Curia. He would have authorized loans for the purchase of the building and speculative operations which caused the Vatican to lose more than 150 million euros.
The Sardinian cardinal, now 75 years old, apparently allowed himself to be taken in by unscrupulous financiers. Three of them were also in the dock.
In September 2020, when the scandal had just broken out in the Italian press, Bishop Becciu had all his prerogatives as cardinal withdrawn by Pope Francis. He was sentenced to 5 and a half years in prison for embezzlement, but also fined 8,000 euros and permanently banned from holding any public office.
In a note, his lawyers announced that they would appeal the verdict, and noted that the 86 hearings of the trial revealed “ a plot » against the high prelate. “ Cardinal Becciu, faithful servant of the Pope and the Church, has always acted in the interest of the Secretariat of State », They specify.
Read alsoSwindled out of hundreds of millions of euros, the Vatican demands accountability