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The Cardinal resigned in 2020 / Reuters / Guglielmo Mangiapane
A high profile Italian cardinal is among 10 ordered to stand trial on fraud and money laundering charges at the Vatican court.
Cardinal Angelo Becciu, once a senior official at the city state and seat of the Catholic church, was charged with embezzlement and abuse of office for his alleged role in a $200 million ploy involving an expensive London property.
Prosecutors have charged 9 others, including former staff of the Vatican's Financial Intelligence Unit, with fraud and money laundering after an investment by the Church went wrong.
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The Holy See's Secretariat of State invested in the Athena Capital Global Opportunities Fund run by Raffale Mincione in 2013, after borrowing $200m from Credit Suisse, according to the
Vatican
. At least half the money was used to buy 60 Sloane St, in west London.
But according to prosecutors, the brokers involved were coordinating with Minicione and organizing to allegedly deceive and extort the Vatican.
Becciu was deputy secretary of state for general affairs at the time, and although he is not directly accused of involvement, the investigators said he attempted to "heavily deflect" their case.
The main charges against Becciu involve the alleged funnelling of money and contracts to companies or charitable organisations controlled by his brothers on the island of Sardinia.
The then-president of the Vatican's Financial Intelligence Unit and its former director, Rene Bruelhart and Tommaso Di Ruzza, were charged withabuse of office for not sufficiently protecting the Vatican's financial interests, and allegedly giving broker Gianluigi Torzi an "undue advantage."
Source(s): Reuters
