“Financial crimes in biggest ever Vatican trial”
At trial, Vatican prosecutors reindict four defendants
The four defendants included in indictments:
London-based Italian financier Raffaele Mincione, the owner of the property in London’s Chelsea district
Fabrizio Tirabassi, a former official at the Secretariat of State
Nicola Squillace, a Milan-based lawyer who helped broker the London property deal
Msgr. Mauro Carlino, Cardinal Angelo Becciu’s former secretary
The Vatican court originally charged and brought to trial 10 individuals, including the four men reindicted and Becciu, former prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, as well as four companies.
But in October, the court ordered the prosecution to redo its investigations of four of the defendants and the four companies.
The cardinal’s team, he said, wants access to two cellphones, a computer, a tablet and the contents of an email account all belonging to Msgr. Alberto Perlasca, the former head of the Secretariat of State’s administrative office, who went from possible suspect to the prosecution’s main witness.
Marzo criticized the way prosecutors questioned Perlasca, including questions regarding the possibility of “an intimate relationship” between the cardinal and [Cecilia Marogna], an Italian political analyst who allegedly was hired as a consultant by Becciu.
Marogna is also facing charges of embezzling money through a humanitarian organization she ran in Slovenia.
Jan 26, 2022
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2022/01/at-trial-vatican-prosecutors-reindict-defendants
A co-defendant, Cecilia Marogna, 42, worked for Becciu, 73, when he was the deputy secretary of state. She is charged with embezzlement, and he is charged with embezzlement, abuse of office and inducing a witness to perjury.
Marogna received 575,000 euros from the Secretariat of State, the Vatican’s most important department, in 2018-2019 when Becciu was working there.
She has said that the money, sent to her company in Slovenia, was to ransom kidnapped missionaries in Africa. But the indictment request said much of it was used for “personal benefit”, including the purchase of luxury goods.
Pope Francis fired Becciu from another senior clerical post in 2020 for alleged nepotism, an accusation he also denies.
https://whbl.com/2022/01/25/cardinal-skips-vatican-trial-to-boycott-talk-of-rumoured-liaison-with-woman/
Cardinal denies financial crimes in biggest ever Vatican trial
Angelo Becciu accused in case that centres on a €350m deal to buy a former Harrods warehouse
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/27/cardinal-denies-financial-crimes-in-biggest-ever-vatican-trial
Millionaire financier Raffaele Mincione previously owned 60 Sloane Avenue, which once housed the Harrods showroom, and has now begun two legal claims over the Vatican's purchase of the building.
The case could throw rare light on a complex web of transactions involving Swiss banks, Luxembourg investment houses and, allegedly, millions of pounds worth of donations from Roman Catholics as part of the annual Peter's Pence appeal.
Mr Mincione had his phone and tablet computers seized by police but has always denied wrongdoing.
He has now lodged two separate High Court legal claims against the Vatican. One has been filed on behalf of his Luxenbourg-based Athena Capital Fund against the secretariat of state, while separately his WRM Group is suing SA60 Ltd.
November 20, 2020
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8539589/Heather-Millss-ex-fiance-takes-Vatican-High-Court-450m-deal.html