Vatican Cardinal on Trial for Fraud and Embezzlement
Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu and nine other defendants went on trial Tuesday after being accused of embezzlement and misusing church charitable funds.
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Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu and nine other defendants went on trial Tuesday after being accused of embezzlement and misusing church charitable funds, report BBC and the Wall Street Journal. Becciu, the second-highest ranking official at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State from 2011 to 2018, is charged with spending about $412 million of church money on a London real-estate purchase. The defendants are expected to argue that they received approval from high Vatican officials, who have not been indicted, to make the purchases. Becciu is also alleged to have sent Vatican funds to a nonprofit cooperative run by his brother in which some of the money was used for unapproved purposes.
The 500-page indictment includes 44 charges against the 10 defendants and marks the first time a cardinal has gone on trial in Vatican City’s criminal court. The trial is expected to last for months and two hearings this week are likely to be adjourned until October. Becciu and the other defendants deny any wrongdoing. If found guilty, they could face jail time or fines
