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The Vatican City State Tribunal has found Cardinal Angelo Becciu guilty of embezzlement and abuse of office.
In a case widely referred to as the Vatican's “trial of the century,” Becciu – along with nine other individuals and four companies – went on trial in July 2021 on various charges related to financial misconduct while working at the Secretariat of State.
After 86 hearings over more than two years and with the participation of 76 witnesses, Judge Giuseppe Pignatone announced the verdicts for all the defendants on Saturday.
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Becciu was sentenced to five and a half years in prison and an additional fine of 8,000 euros. In addition, he is permanently prohibited from exercising his office.
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Cardinal Angelo Becciu speaks to journalists during a 2020 press conference in Rome. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Five other defendants also received prison sentences: Enrico Crasso, seven years; Cecilia Marogna, three years; Raffaele Mincione, five years old; Fabrizio Tirabassi, seven years old; and Gianluigi Torzi, six years old.
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The defendants René Brülhart and Tommaso Di Ruzza were fined, while the defendant Nicola Squillace received a suspended sentence.
Former State Secretariat official Msgr. Mauro Carlino was acquitted of all charges.
Logsic Humitarne Dejavnosti was the only company found guilty and was fined $44,000.
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The case centered on a failed real estate deal in London in which the State Department acquired a property in the Chelsea district and ultimately had to sell it at a loss of $150 million.
Becciu was found guilty of other unrelated misconduct, including embezzlement from a Sardinian Catholic charityun by his brother and misuse of funds provided for the ransom of a kidnapped nun.
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The court ordered the seizure of more than $181 million in connection with the scandal and ordered all defendants to jointly and severally pay approximately $218 million to civil parties.
The trial was conducted before the Vatican City State Tribunal, the highest civil court in Vatican City.
The city of Rome, Italy, is seen beyond St. Peter's Square from the roof of the Basilica in Vatican City. (Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Becciu was the first cardinal ever tried in the Vatican's civil court system – and now he is the first ever convicted.
Becciu's lawyer maintained the cardinal's innocence and announced his intention to appeal after the verdict.
Vatican City does not have a prison system, so the guilty must serve their sentences under Italian authorities.