Vatican court summoned for trial 10 people s four companies Amid a real estate scandal involving investment تنطوي Secretariat of the State of the Holy See الكرسي In real estate located in London, United kingdom. One of the main characters is the Cardinal Angelo Piccio, the highest-ranking clergyman who faces charges of embezzlement of resources and abuse of power.
The 73-year-old Cardinal, who denies wrongdoing, was forced to resign last September, but he still retains his title pending the final verdict of the trial, which will officially begin on July 27, according to the Holy See in a statement.
Becciu . was Close collaborator with Pope Francis He was formerly a key factor in the Vatican State Secretariat, which Manages church donations.
The purpose of the trial will be to determine whether he and the other defendants, They used their power and influence to promote the multi-million dollar purchase of a property in London using church money.
The purchase was made when the Cardinal was in charge of the General Secretariat of the Holy See, and therefore the nature of the controversial agreement under which the property was acquired will be questioned, which has been the subject of a financial investigation since its signing and has caused alleged inheritance damage to the Vatican.
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specific, More than $214 million was paid for an apartment building on Sloan Street that came from church money through outside trusts and companies. The accused cardinal defended these agreements at the time.
According to the Italian media espresso, Becciu allegedly transferred funds from that agreement, as well as funds from Charities and donations to finance the activities of those close to him.
Italian media calculated that from 2013 to September 2020 – when he left his post in the Secretariat of the Holy See – the Cardinal handed over At least 600,000 euros (about $712,000) to a cooperative run by one of his brothers and associated with the charity Caritas de Ozieri, in Sardinia (Italy).
In the face of all these accusations, Cardinal Picchio declared “victimand repeat to him Innocence through a statement.
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“I am the victim of a conspiracy hatched against me, and I have been waiting for so long to hear the accusations against me to allow myself to immediately deny them and prove to the world my absolute innocence. In these long months everything has been invented about me, exposing me to an incomparable media stubble that I have not dealt with, suffering in silence, and also for the respect and protection of the Church, to which I have devoted my whole life,” says the clergyman.
He adds, “Finally the moment of clarification arrives, the court will be able to find absolute falsehood of the accusations against me and dark conspiracies which it clearly supports and nurtures.”
Others involved in the case are: Rene Bruelhart, Monsignor Mauro Carlino, Enrico Crasso, Tommaso de Rosa, Cecilia Marugna, Raffaele Mencioni, Nicolas Squeillas, Fabrizio Terrapasi and Gianluigi Torzi.
They are all charged by prosecutors Save millions of euros in duties imposed on the Vatican in connection with financial transactions that caused losses to the Holy See.
“Investigations, which were also conducted on behalf of the judiciary in many other foreign countries (the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Jersey, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland) revealed an extensive network of relations with operators of financial markets that caused significant losses to the Vatican. financial, having also resorted to the resources intended for the personal charity of the Holy Pope “This was stated in the statement issued by the Vatican.
They all denied their guilt, which must be proven in court.
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