In an unprecedented milestone in the history of the Catholic Church, the Vatican handed down a prison sentence to a cardinal for embezzlement and banned him from holding public office in the future.
After two and a half years of trial and more than 80 hearings, the Vatican City State Court decided this Saturday to convict Angelo Becciu, who was once considered a papal contender.
The cardinal accused of embezzling more than 200 million euros from the Holy See was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in prison, a personal fine of 8,000 euros, and a ban on holding public office.
The case, called "the trial of the century" of the Vatican and considered the most complex that the Holy See has ever had, involved nine other people accused of crimes such as fraud, abuse of power and money laundering.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu has been convicted of embezzlement in a Vatican financial trial and sentenced to 5 and a half years. https://t.co/pfbGKZqbRj
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 16, 2023
Enrico Crasso was sentenced to seven years in prison, Cecilia Marogna to three years, Raffaele Mincione to five years, Fabrizio Tirabassi to seven years, and Gianluigi Torzi to six years. René Brülhart and Tommaso Di Ruzza only received fines, and Nicola Squillace received a suspended sentence.
Mauro Carlino, former Secretary of State official, was acquitted of all charges. Furthermore, the only company accused, Logsic Humitarne Dejavnosti, was found guilty and fined $44,000.
It is important to note that Vatican City does not maintain a prison system, so those convicted will serve their sentences under the Italian authorities.
The case
The case centered on a real estate deal in London that began when the Secretary of State acquired land in Chelsea and sold it at a loss of $150 million.
However, Becciu was also found guilty of other unrelated misdemeanors, such as embezzling funds through a Sardinian Catholic charity run by his brother and misusing funds allocated to rescue a kidnapped nun.
Becciu's lawyer announced that he will appeal
The cardinal's lawyer, Fabio Viglione, insists that his client is innocent and announced that he will file an appeal.
